


A Week's Worth

by heytheregisela



Series: Bending The Rules [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Joelay won't be too much there at first but will come more later on, Love Triangle, M/M, parental abuse I mean, this won't be crazy focused on Danvin so don't worry, warnings of future abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-22
Updated: 2014-09-21
Packaged: 2018-02-10 00:43:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 68,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2004309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heytheregisela/pseuds/heytheregisela
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Picking up right where Bend the Rules left off, Gavin is back in Texas, although he's not alone, bringing his new boyfriend Dan along. Now, Michael has two options: he can either let the days pass by until Gavin leaves, or he can make those days some of the best he's ever experienced. Whatever decision he chooses, he knows the outcome will be anything but ideal. While he knows Gavin didn't come back for him, because he told him not to, it's difficult to face the fact that Gavin is in a new relationship. Both men still harbor feelings for each other, and those feelings aren't going to go away. But his ex being back in town isn't the only problem Michael has to face.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Big shout out to Deanna for helping me out with the summary!!! It helped a ton! Anyway, yes, this is the sequel for Bend The Rules. Now this first chapter might suck because man, first chapters are never my strongest. So I hope that you'll still give the rest of the fic a chance if you aren't impressed with the first chapter lol because I do think future chapters will be really interesting and stuff!!! Oh, and this literally does take place the day after Bend The Rules ended lol

Michael opened his eyes slowly after a long, practically restless night, because this wasn't the first time he had opened his eyes in the past eight hours. At least this time it was finally daylight. He was just waiting for the time to be where he could actually get up and get ready for work. It would give him something to do, something to distract him from the long Monday he had the day before.

Michael yawned as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. He was indeed still tired, but there was no more use or time for trying to get more sleep.

He got out of bed and headed for the bathroom for a quick shower. The warm water cascading down his body had him sighing in relief and with the huge urge to seriously crawl back into bed. But lying in bed only allowed his mind to plague him with thoughts he really didn't want to go over.

He turned off the water and grabbed his towel off the rack before wrapping it around his waist. The steam from the shower had fogged up the mirror, and Michael quickly wiped off a small part of it to see his reflection. He wanted to smile at himself, because things could have been way worse than they felt. Yet, he couldn't smile. He had received two – well actually _three_ – very big surprises the day before. Even though the second surprise had him almost jumping for joy inside, that wonderful feeling was almost completely dissolved once the third surprise walked into the room.

Michael wasn't one to be jealous, though, and he didn't want to start now, but he would be lying if he said he could go the day without wanting to punch something.

After drying off his hair a little with another towel, Michael left the bathroom and headed back into his bedroom to get dressed.

He would have his breakfast, go to work, record some lets play with the guys, maybe even go out to have some lunch with Ray, work again, and come home to have a nice dinner before bed. He promised himself he wouldn't let anything get to him. Anything he didn't seem to like, he would ignore it and move on, because apparently moving on was something he was struggling with. He was going to work on that, though, and he was going to succeed. He just had a really good feeling about that.

So he looked himself in the mirror again and finally smiled.

He could do this.

But the moment he ran down the stairs and into the kitchen, he halted in his tracks and held his breath to find Gavin Free sitting in there – alone. That confidence he felt in his bedroom was fading already.

Maybe he couldn't do this...

Michael shook his head and swallowed the lump in his throat. Even if he couldn't, he wasn't going to let anyone know that.

“Where's Geoff and Griffon? And...” Michael paused before he could even think about saying the next name, “And Dan?” He hoped he at least sounded a bit like he cared.

Gavin sat back in the chair and smiled at Michael. “Geoff's in the shower, Griffon headed out, and Dan's still asleep,” he answered.

Michael looked over at the clock on the microwave to find that it was just passed nine. He raised his eyebrows, but said nothing as he walked over to the refrigerator.

“I think I'm in the mood for some scrambled eggs,” Michael said. He looked at Gavin over his shoulder and asked if he wanted anyway.

Gavin shook his head and Michael shrugged before grabbing the carton of eggs. He cooked for himself in silence as Gavin just sat there, probably watching him, but Michael didn't check to see if that was true. It was becoming much too awkward for Michael, though. How was he supposed to even act with having his ex boyfriend, someone he still had feelings for, in his kitchen after being a year apart without any contact? How was Michael supposed to feel knowing that the person who was lucky enough to be romantically involved with Gavin was also staying there?

He didn't know what to feel. He just knew he didn't want to be jealous. Jealousy was always something he found stupid and useless, but he seriously could not help himself the more the silence drove him to think about it.

But then finally, Gavin spoke.

“How has working at Rooster Teeth been?” He asked Michael.

Michael mentally thanked Gavin for attempting some sort of conversation. He flashed Gavin a smile. “Uh, it's been fucking great,” he answered with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. It wasn't a lie. It had been great, but he didn't know how to make it sound like it was. He tried by adding, “I mean, shit, it's all playing games for a living! I get paid to do something I actually love and can't get tired of.” Gavin grinned as he listened to Michael.

“Yeah the editing can get a little tedious,” Michael admitted, “but I wouldn't want to work anywhere else. I'm thankful Rooster Teeth exists or else I don't know where I'd be right now.” He turned off the stove and scooped all of the scrambled eggs onto a plate.

Gavin cleaned off the table a little before Michael walked over and sat across from him.

“Can I be honest with you?” Gavin asked.

Michael picked up his fork and squinted his eyes at Gavin. “Well, yeah sure.”

The Brit smiled softly as he said, “I actually have been watching most of the content you've been in.”

Michael raised an eyebrow. “Good job on making that sound creepy, Gav.” He stuffed some of the eggs into his mouth as he watched a tint of red appear on Gavin's cheeks.

Gavin laughed it off and shook his head. “I didn't mean for it to sound like that,” he told Michael. “I just wanted you to know that I did not ever stop thinking about you.”

Although that did make Michael's heart beat a little faster, Michael merely scoffed and said, “That's not helping you make that sound even less creepy.”

“Michael...” Gavin sounded so defeated that Michael had to laugh.

“I was just fucking with you,” Michael told him.

Gavin sighed, but smiled again. “I was serious, though,” he said, “watching your videos, your Rage Quits...” he shrugged, “I don't know. They helped me at night when I couldn't sleep.”

Michael raised an eyebrow. How did videos of him constantly yelling help someone to sleep? He wasn't going to ask.

“I had sleepless nights, too,” he said instead, looking down at his food before eating some more of it.

“But you are much better now, right?” Gavin asked.

Michael swallowed the food in his mouth before looking Gavin in the eye. “Are _you_? I know you said you had time to... grieve, but-”

“I did,” Gavin nodded, though he sighed deeply and went on to say, “Of course at first it was one of the hardest things I've had to go through, but I managed.”

 _With Dan's help, I presume,_ Michael stuffed his mouth with more of his scrambled eggs as he thought about what to say.

 _I want to punch you in the fucking face,_ Michael chewed roughly, _punch you for bringing your god damn boyfriend with you. What the fuck is that all about? Fuck! I hate how much I still fucking love you. You're a god damn asshole._ He wrinkled up his nose at his thoughts and looked down as he continued to eat.

Gavin didn't notice any of it since he was too distracted with his own hands.

Michael sighed through his nose and tried to calm himself down. Last night, he had felt happy to have Gavin there – very happy – especially after they talked. But it was once he got into bed that his happiness pretty much left him and he started to think back to every little thing he had gone through with Gavin and all the stupid memories they had created together.

Michael wanted to be happy and actually _stay_ happy without any little thing bringing him down. He wanted to feel close to Gavin again, to be able to look at him and call him “best friend” without hesitation. He didn't want any of the ex lovers awkwardness. He had even told himself that he was going to enjoy the time he had with Gavin there, no matter how angry he wanted to be for Gavin bringing Dan along. Especially because he honestly just didn't want to risk losing the blond again.

He couldn't go through that a second time. It was bad enough the first time.

“Did you ever talk about it?” Michael asked. He wasn't sure why he chose to talk about what was probably a sensitive subject for Gavin, but he was kind of aiming for comfort, in a sense. Friends were there for each other, and Michael wanted to show Gavin that he was there for him, just like Gavin had been there for him before.

“Talk about it?” Gavin asked, clearly confused as he raised an eyebrow.

“About, you know,” Michael didn't exactly want to _say_ it.

Gavin studied Michael's face until it clicked to him. “Oh,” he mouthed before shaking his head.

“Nope,” he said. “And that could be the reason I could never sleep enough the first few months.”

Michael rolled his eyes. “Yeah, no shit, Gav. You can't just keep something like that bottled in. I did that, remember? With my parents? But then I told you and I don't regret that. It actually helped me feel better.”

“I'm fine. It's been so long. I'm over it-”

“ _Are you_?” Michael narrowed his eyes at Gavin. It wasn't the kind of tone that was comforting, but Michael needed Gavin to talk and he really didn't feel like being patient.

Gavin looked away from Michael. He had never been asked that. Everyone back at home seemed to avoid asking him any questions like that, and Gavin was partly relieved about that, but hearing Michael ask him that now, even after all this time... it felt good.

“I don't do well with talking about these sort of things,” he told Michael, which is what made him relieved that no one asked him any of that stuff at home. He never knew what to say anyway.

Michael wasn't going to take that for an answer, though, because Michael obviously cared. He never stopped caring and he wasn't going to stop anytime soon, even if it was probably best if he did.

“It helps,” Michael told him, “I know it's been a while since it happened, but if it's still bothering you, then talk about it, Gav. I can't even believe you never did.”

Gavin shrugged. “People knew not to ask.”

“Not even... Dan?”

“No.”

 _Hmm..._ Michael pushed his plate forward and crossed his arms.

“Well, I'm listening,” he said, “for whenever you want to start talking. But hey, no pressure. I can wait until you _are_ ready, but I want you to know that I will listen if you ever are.” _Because I love you, like an idiot._

Gavin smiled faintly and looked down at his hands again. Maybe talking about it would help. Maybe it would take off the weight he felt he was still holding. Although he did feel as if he had time to get over it, perhaps he really wasn't. And this was Michael he was talking to, the one person he always felt such a strong connection to; also the one he realized last night that he still loved...

So Gavin closed his eyes and sighed.

* * *

Gavin sat on his bed, his own bed at home. It was the first time he had actually been in there since he came back to England a few days earlier. He mostly spent his time in the hospital, answering every little question his grandmother would ask, and he made sure to use as much detail as possible. It was clearly amusing his grandmother, because she kept a smile on her face the whole time Gavin talked.

It took a lot of convincing and persuading, but Gavin's mom finally got him to go home for a shower and sleep.

But now that he was in his bedroom, nothing felt right. He felt empty and exhausted.

Gavin curled up and shut his eyes tight, attempting to get some rest, but once he was almost there, a little noise he heard got him back up. It was only his parents talking and walking downstairs, but it was enough to disturb him and keep him up.

When his mom came to check on him an hour later, Gavin pretended to be deep in his sleep. He could feel her walking over to his side and kissing his cheek. Once the door closed, Gavin opened his eyes and sat up again.

He didn't like being at home. He was alone at home. Of course his parents were there, but they would just keep saying the same thing over and over.

“It'll be okay, Gavin.”

“You're here now and she's happy. That's all that matters.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But Gavin didn't want to talk about any of that. He just wanted a distraction. He wanted to talk about something else; anything else. His parents didn't understand that, though, so he was stuck. The one thing that was good was how they never asked him how felt about all this. They never asked him about Michael, either, which was also okay, because Gavin didn't know how he'd feel talking about Michael out loud.

The moment Gavin had gotten on the plane and saw how much further and further he was getting from Austin was when it hit him that he was leaving the one person he ever really fell in love with. And it just made everything worse. He wanted to go back and stay with Michael, to not think about what was going on back at home, pretend like he didn't know. There was no turning back now though.

So no one asked him about anything. They merely tried making him feel better without actually making him feel better.

Gavin tried acting as himself, but his personality only came out when he was at the hospital, because he was trying to make his grandmother laugh as much as he could before she had to go. The doctors kept saying it would be soon, so Gavin stayed strong to make his grandmother's final days bright.

She didn't seem scared to die. Then again, she never seemed scared of anything. It was always what made Gavin fearless, what made him look up to her as some sort of hero. And it was what made him not be able to bare the thought of never seeing her again.

When she did pass, Gavin was at home.

He was having dinner with his parents when his mother's phone rang. Mrs. Free practically dropped the phone at the news, and Gavin just _knew_ immediately what happened.

His father looked at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “She finally has her peace,” Mr. Free said.

Gavin shrugged off his father's hand and forced a smile as he nodded. “I know that,” he said. “May she rest in peace,” though his heart throbbed in his chest when he noticed just how much his mother was crying.

He swallowed hard and watched as his father walked over to her. He watched as they held each other, how she clutched to her husband. And Gavin frowned as he looked down at his food – food he now couldn't even finish. He dropped his fork and stood up.

He headed up to his room and thought about calling Dan. He thought about calling Michael, too, but he ended up calling Dan instead, because he knew hearing Michael's voice would definitely cause him to break down. Breaking down was exactly what he was trying so desperately not to do.

He had to stay strong, just as strong as his grandmother always was. He wanted to stay strong for her, because she never liked seeing Gavin sad. She always said it was one of the worst things she had to see. So Gavin took a deep breath as he explained to Dan what happened.

He had to bite down on his lower lip as he said, “It's okay. She's fine now.”

But it wasn't okay.

 

* * *

Gavin licked his lips and slumped in the chair, not daring to make eye contact with Michael. Michael took that as a sign that Gavin wasn't going to say anything more for now.

“Thank you,” Gavin eventually whispered as he sighed softly.

Michael wanted to apologize for even bringing it up, because he felt like he just reminded Gavin of all the pain, and he felt like he had forced him to talk. But then Gavin smiled at him, and it looked... _real_. It was a genuine Gavin smile that Michael couldn't resist smiling back.

Michael got up and took his plate to the sink. He didn't notice, but Gavin had followed. Gavin stood next to him as Michael washed the plate, and Michael slowly handed him the plate afterwards. The blond took it and dried it off before setting it aside.

Michael didn't question it.

“So... how long are you staying?” Michael asked as he looked at Gavin.

“About a week,” Gavin answered, a small smile on his face.

A whole week. Michael had a whole week with Gavin. But honestly, a week didn't feel enough. Even a year felt too short nowadays. So much could happen, and then nothing could happen at all. Michael wasn't expecting much to go on between him and Gavin, because the blond was pretty much off limits, and Michael could respect that.

But he had a week.

Michael sighed and was about to turn back to the dishes to wash the rest that were in the sink when he felt an arm wrap around his waist and felt himself being pulled closer towards Gavin. Michael stiffened and looked at Gavin with furrowed eyebrows. The gesture was pretty much harmless, but it also felt a bit too intimate considering how close they were standing, and how their faces were only inches away from each other.

Then it clicked to Michael.

He looked down at Gavin's arm around him and asked, “Is this a hug? Are you _hugging_ me?” Judging by Gavin's smile, Michael knew that of course it was. He was just over thinking things and taking a slightly awkward side hug as something more.

Michael slowly wrapped an arm around Gavin in an attempt to hug him back by giving him a small squeeze. They smiled slightly at each other before returning their attention back to the dirty dishes in the sink.

They had a only a week together, and Michael wasn't sure what he could do with just that _one_ week.

 


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This really shouldn't have taken so long, but there was a part I wanted to rewrite so badly and then I didn't have any inspiration to actually rewrite it. I haven't felt like writing or anything because I haven't been feeling too well lately, still kind of not feeling great but I'm getting better. I almost posted it as is because I knew I was taking forever, but ugh, I just really couldn't when that one part just kept begging me to rewrite it. So I finally did and now here's chapter two.

When Gavin was still holding onto to Michael for longer than felt necessary, Michael had to move away from a little. He figured there was nothing wrong with a prolonged hug, but he just didn't feel _too_ comfortable about it at the moment. He noticed the look of shock on Gavin's face afterwards, though, and Michael sighed as he tried thinking of something to say now.

“So, uh...” he ran his fingers through his hair, “Oh, I was thinking about getting a haircut. I haven't gotten one since January and well, shit...” Michael laughed as he tugged on his curls, “It's getting pretty fucking long.”

Gavin smiled at him. “I think it'll look nice whether you do or don't.”

Michael forced himself to look away from Gavin as he smiled to himself. Gavin always had a way of making him feel about something almost as simple as hair.

“ _You are,” Gavin said to him, “Your hair doesn't make you who you are.”_

“ _Yeah but,” Michael tapped his fingers as he tried to find the words he was looking for “... it makes me feel comfortable. I don't feel comfortable without any hair.”_

“ _It'll grow back.”_

_Michael licked his lips as he nodded. “I know,” he said quietly._

_Gavin had to admit that he did miss the way Michael's curls were, how some would curl up more than others, but the haircut did suit him. Gavin reached up and gently touched the small left on Michael's head. It felt soft against Gavin's palm and even began to tickle it a bit. Michael looked at him and Gavin grinned._

“ _Feels lovely,” he said and Michael laughed._

Michael's expression softened. He wanted to ignore the way his heart was pounding in his chest, but with Gavin looking at him with that dumb smile of his, he couldn't.

“Gavin-” Michael was about to say something when he was interrupted by footsteps coming down the stairs.

Gavin immediately stepped away from Michael, but he relaxed when he saw it was only Geoff. Geoff raised an accusing eyebrow at the blond as he made his way towards the refrigerator.

“You look like you just shit yourself, Gavin,” Geoff told him.

Michael merely smirked. “He's just being Gavin,” he told Geoff.

“I'm gonna go wake Dan,” Gavin said as he walked out of the kitchen.

Michael almost rolled his eyes at, but he resisted. He sighed and rubbed his face, feeling confused and frustrated at the same time.

“I'm sorry, Michael,” Geoff then said.

Michael turned around to look at him. “For what?” He asked.

“Hand me a bowl.”

Michael grabbed a clean bowl off the dish rack and handed it to Geoff. Geoff began to pour himself some cereal as Michael waited anxiously for Geoff to explain.

“I didn't know Gavin would bring him,” Geoff mumbled.

“But you knew he was with someone, right?” Michael asked.

Geoff nodded, beginning to feel a bit guilty. “I did. I kept in contact with Gavin a lot. He told me everything.”

Michael wrinkled up his nose and turned away so Geoff couldn't exactly see the look on his face. Why Geoff never told him of these calls, Michael would never know, because he didn't want to ask. He didn't want to be mad at Geoff. He supposed it was all for the best that he didn't know that Geoff and Gavin had stayed in contact, and really, he wasn't surprised.

Geoff could see the small hint of anger in Michael's face and he spoke up, “Gavin just didn't want me to tell you. I wanted to respect his wishes.”

Michael was ready to respond when Gavin and Dan came down the stairs. He just turned away at the sight of those two together.

“Good morning, Geoff,” Dan greeted as he smiled at the older man.

“Morning,” Geoff returned the smile.

Dan looked over at Michael and even though Michael couldn't see him, Dan smiled some more and said, “Good morning, Michael.”

Michael took a deep breath and looked at Dan over his shoulder. He could see Gavin standing right next to him and noticed the little flinch Gavin made when Michael looked at them. Michael turned himself back around and crossed his arms. The corners of his lips slowly rose.

“A good morning to you too, Dan,” he said, hoping he didn't sound _too_ bitter.

Gavin seemed to sigh in relief before looking down at his feet.

“Gavin, Michael,” Geoff spoke up, “We should hurry up before we're late.”

Michael nodded and started heading for the garage. Geoff stuffed the last spoonfuls of his cereal into his mouth and placed his bowl in the sink. Gavin started to walk away, but he glanced at Dan one more time to smile at him. And then he was gone.

 

* * *

 

As they arrived at the building, Michael immediately headed to the Achievement Hunter office without waiting for Geoff. Gavin, however, was quick and followed Michael. He was very much curious how the office looked. He had seen it in videos, but he really wanted to see it in person. Michael ignored the blond as he went ahead and sat at his desk. Gavin walked in slowly, taking in his surroundings but not the people. His eyes examined every picture on the wall, every game in the bookshelf. It was even better in person.

“Hey, Ray,” Michael greeted casually as he always did.

Ray turned to him and smiled, but the stranger that was standing in the middle of the room caught his attention. Ray looked up and gaped at the sight of the one and only - “Gavin?”

Gavin turned away from the poster he had been currently staring at. He rose his eyebrows and slowly, his lips curled up into a smile.

“Ray!” He said, throwing his arms out.

“Holy shit!” Ray threw off his headphones as he jumped up and ran over to hug Gavin.

Michael glanced at them over his shoulder before putting on his headphones and trying not to be distracted by them.

“When did you get back?” Ray asked Gavin as they pulled out of the hug.

“I actually got here in the office last night, but everyone was pretty much gone already,” Gavin explained.

“Oh, so are you staying at a hotel or?”

“With the Ramseys and Michael,” Gavin said as his eyes flickered to the man with curly hair sitting down. But when Michael didn't bother facing them at the sound of his name, Gavin sighed and looked at Ray again.

Ray nodded. “Well, that's a good plan, but hey,” he patted Gavin's arm, “have you seen everyone else?”

Gavin furrowed his eyebrows until it clicked to him. “Oh!” He gasped. “I haven't, but I'll go do that now.” He grinned at Ray before heading out.

Ray smiled, but that smile quickly faded when he noticed that Michael was a bit too quiet. That wasn't really normal for Michael.

Ray sat back down and asked, “What's up, Michael?”

Michael looked at him but said nothing.

“Not happy to see Gavin?” Ray went on to ask. “Or was all the excitement worn out from seeing him last night?” He almost smirked until he saw no sign of emotion on Michael's face.

“I was,” Michael answered blandly after long silence.

Ray raised his eyebrows. “Well, what happened?”

Michael hesitated before opening his mouth again, “He... uh... he didn't exactly come alone.”

Gavin was practically running around in the hall, calling out names: Miles, Lindsay, Barbara, and Chris! And the other employees would merely smile at him and some even helped out by calling out as well.

Miles was the first to hear his name being called. He immediately jumped out of his seat and he was pleased to find that he wasn't wrong about who that voice belonged to.

“Gavin?” Miles grinned as he hurried over to the Brit.

Gavin opened his arms wide, but his hug for Miles was stolen by Barbara running up to him from the side.

“Gavin!” Barbara practically squeaked as she wrapped her arms around Gavin.

Miles halted in his tracks and crossed his arms as he pouted. Barbara laughed when she saw him and stepped away from Gavin to allow Miles to finally hug him.

“Finally,” Miles said.

Barbara went ahead and called for Lindsay and Chris to come over and see.

“Gavin!” Lindsay and Chris practically shouted simultaneously.

And Gavin grinned at the sight of them. He wasn't already feeling tired from all the hugging, but he didn't mind giving hugs to his other two friends.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Lindsay asked, her eyes brightening.

“Why didn't you tell us you were coming?” Chris asked after.

“Yeah!” Miles added as he gently Gavin's arm.

Gavin laughed and ran his fingers through his messy hair. “I'll explain it all...” and he paused after saying that, causing his friends to get a bit impatient.

“Alright,” Barbara said, “then explain!”

“Well, I came down here to-”

“To get to work and not waste time,” Geoff said.

They all turned around and smiled at him.

“Okay all of you,” he said as he walked up to them, “I know we're all excited that Gavin's here,” he placed a hand on Gavin's shoulder, “but I think it's time you guys get back to work.” Geoff narrowed his eyes at Gavin, “And that _you_ get started actually doing what you're supposed to be doing here. It's your first day and you're already slacking off?”

Gavin smiled apologetically, even though he knew Geoff was only kidding around with him. He nodded before heading in the direction of the studio. He stopped midway, though, and turned around to say one more thing, “Well, we all definitely have to have lunch together so I can really explain everything.”

“We do,” Chris said as he nodded, “Because there's a hundred questions we're all probably dying to ask you.”

The others agreed and Gavin gave them a thumbs up before heading off. Lindsay hurried to the Achievement Hunter office to let Michael and Ray know about the lunch plan. She was relieved to find they weren't doing much yet, so she didn't have to feel as though she had completely interrupted them. Everyone in the office turned to smile at her as she walked in.

Lindsay sat down in the chair next to Michael, her smile big and bright. Michael couldn't help but smile back and turn his chair so he would be facing her better.

“So, we're all going out to eat lunch together,” Lindsay said.

Michael raised an eyebrow.

Ray overheard and looked over. “The whole gang?” He asked.

Lindsay nodded at him and smiled again at Michael. “We all have to be there to catch up with Gavin,” she explained.

 _Great._ Michael licked his lips and slowly looked away.

It was going to be fun, wasn't it? It would be like the times they had lunch together at school; all seven of them again together. Without Gavin, the friends still did hang out often, but this time was going to be “special” because Gavin was back.

Michael wanted to be excited, but there was this feeling inside him that he couldn't shake. He smiled for Lindsay, though, and nodded when Ray said he couldn't wait. Lindsay left after that and Michael sighed loudly.

“It'll be fine,” Ray whispered to Michael.

Michael pursed his lips and tried concentrating on editing the video he was working on.

 

* * *

 

Throughout recording a Lets Play, Michael started to find the bright sides of the upcoming lunch. He would get to know more of what went on with Gavin in England, and that was something he hated to admit he was curious about. It would also just be nice to hang out like old times. So Michael smiled when lunch came around and he and Ray got up to leave. Probably also due to the fact that he was indeed starving. 

“Where you guys headed to?” Jack asked.

“Uh, wherever everyone else wants to go,” Ray said as he headed for the door, “We didn't really decide on a place.” He shrugged.

Michael laughed and they left the room. The others were already waiting by the front door. Ray walked out with them but Gavin stayed behind a little to wait for Michael. Michael grinned at him and they walked to Barbara's car together.

Yeah, this was going to be okay.

It was going to be fun, and Michael couldn't stop smiling as he sat next to Gavin and Ray in the backseat. Miles and Chris went in another car because there was no room for them to squish into Barbara's car, and thank goodness for that. And though Michael didn't really mind having to sit in the middle, he still pretended to give Ray and Gavin a hard time about it.

Gavin said nothing but laugh the whole time as Ray just teased Michael, which almost turned Michael's fake anger into real anger.

They headed to a pizza place for lunch, one Michael never bothered going to, but he was up for trying new things. They all got out of the car and Michael was ready to tell Gavin again how glad he was that he was there when another voice with an accent caught his attention. And Michael froze, hoping that he just imagined that voice; hoping that person wasn't actually there. But of course...

“Dan,” Gavin spoke, “you made it!” And he sounded so happy about it, too.

Michael curled his fingers into a fist to prevent himself from rolling his eyes. He turned around to face Dan and watched as Gavin introduced Dan to everybody else. Everyone but Ray seemed happy to meet him. Ray looked as if he was trying so hard to smile as he shook Dan's hand, and that forced smile remained on Ray's face as he looked at Gavin. Gavin wanted to question it, but he decided against it.

Inside, as Barbara, Chris, and Miles went to go take the order and Gavin and Lindsay went to use the restroom. Dan, Ray, and Michael chose a table to sit at. Ray sat down next to Michael and shook his head, clearly unimpressed.

Michael wanted to laugh at that, but he held it in.

“Told you,” he whispered to Ray.

Ray sighed quietly as he crossed his arms. Everyone else returned to the table and there was immediate conversations going around, most of them aimed at Gavin. Gavin did more listening and nodding than talking, though. It seemed like everyone was now more excited to tell Gavin things that had happened to them rather than hear about what happened to Gavin. When the pizza came, that was a whole different story. With food around, it was Gavin's turn to talk.

“How long are you staying, exactly?” Lindsay asked before taking a bite of her slice of pizza.

“Monday morning,” Gavin answered. “I'm only here to help out with Red Vs. Blue, as Miles ended up figuring out.”

Miles smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I walk into the studio and what do you know? Gavin's there!”

Gavin laughed. “It's certainly going to be fun working next to you,” he said.

“I'm mad no one told me that you were the one who was gonna help us out.”

“Gavin wanted to keep it all a surprise,” Dan spoke up, and Michael sighed. “But a few days ago, he almost gave up and called all of you.”

Michael raised his eyebrows at that. “Oh, _did_ he now?” He asked, his eyes on the blond.

Gavin smiled but Dan answered, “Yeah, he did. But I told him, 'Come on, Gav. You made it this far without spoiling it, so you can make it a few more days'. The only ones that knew were Geoff and Burnie.”

“That's no surprise,” Barbara said as she grabbed her second slice.

Dan laughed softly. “Yeah, they helped get everything ready for Gavin to fly over here. I was excited when Gavin asked me to come along.”

“Kind of glad he did ask you,” Barbara said, “because I kinda like you.” She smiled at Dan.

Dan seemed to smile a bit shyly that Michael just couldn't resist rolling his eyes. Dan was much too nice for his liking. It wasn't really a bad thing, but it only made wanting to hate him harder. And when Dan ended up catching Michael glaring at him, Michael looked away and frowned, not able to ignore feeling guilty about that. He hadn't even realized the way he had been staring at Dan until Dan looked nervous and smiled uncomfortably.

The rest of that lunch was almost a blur. Everyone was talking, but Michael was mostly eating until he was too full for another bite.

They started to head outside when Michael noticed Gavin and Dan saying their goodbyes to each other. They weren't... kissing or anything, but the way they were looking at each other was enough to annoy Michael. He turned on his heel and headed towards Barbara's car. Ray noticed and quickly followed as the rest stayed to also say 'goodbye' to Dan.

“Michael,” Ray called a he tried catching up with his friend.

Michael stopped to allow Ray to do so and once they were side by side, they continued the walk to the car.

“Look,” Ray spoke, “that was probably one of the most fucked up things Gavin could do. I mean, actually bringing his fucking boyfriend to lunch when it was supposed to be just us, the original group, catching up.”

“It's a _shitty_ ass move,” Michael said, “but you know what? I am happy for Gavin. I'm glad he got better after what he probably had to go through with his grandma's death. I'm glad he's okay and that Dan makes him feel better or whatever the fuck, but I-” Michael huffed. “I don't want to see it.”

Ray nodded. “Yeah, I know. I don't wanna be mad at Gavin. I am happy he's here, but man, I can't help but be annoyed with him now.”

Michael shook his head and said, “No, don't be. I'm not gonna let this god damn jealousy stop me from being happy that someone I was close to is back... for a week.” He shrugged and continued to say, “So don't you let anything ruin it, either. It's fine. I'm fine.”

“Are you?”

Michael thought about an answer for that when the others walked up. Ray smiled at Michael before getting back in the car. And Michael waited and watched as Dan walked in another direction. The Ramsey house wasn't actually far from where they ate, so Michael wasn't surprised Dan walked.

“You getting in or what?” Ray asked as he poked his head out of the car.

Michael blinked and looked at Ray. “Yeah, no shit,” he said as he pushed Ray's head back into the car before getting in.

 

* * *

 

Back at the office, Ray and Michael headed back to the Achievement Hunter office together, but on their way there, Michael noticed the way Joel happened to smile at Ray. He also noticed how Ray happened to smile back. Of course a simple exchange of smiles wasn't a big deal, but when it came to Joel and Ray, it didn't feel like a little deal to Michael. It was the tension that was there that made it not so simple, and Michael found himself looking back and forth from Joel and Ray until Joel walked off.

Michael shook his head when Ray looked at him.

“What?” Ray asked, furrowing his eyebrows as if he didn't know.

Michael merely smirked at him. Ray knew what Michael was thinking now and he quickly walked into the office before Michael could actually say it. Michael laughed at that and was about to follow Ray when Gavin called him.

Michael turned around, his heart picking up speed for a bit as he came face-to-face with Gavin.

“Yeah?” Michael asked.

Gavin looked as though he was about to tell a whole story, one that Michael felt he needed to brace himself for, but instead, Gavin just sighed and asked, “How's your day?”

Michael narrowed his eyes at him, because that didn't feel like it was what Gavin wanted to ask, but okay. He would take it. “Good,” he answered with a small smile.

Gavin nodded. “That's good.”

Michael raised his eyebrows, watching as Gavin looked down at the floor. There was an awkward silence threatening to cover them, and that was the last time Michael needed to deal with. So he came up with the best thing he could say, even though he didn't want to talk about it.

“You and... uh, Dan seem good,” he said, his voice quiet.

Gavin looked back up to meet Michael's eyes. He could see the obvious annoyance in Michael's eyes and he frowned. “Michael-”

Michael waved his hands. “I didn't say that so this could turn into a depressing conversation or some shit,” he said, “I'm just pointing out something I noticed,” he forced a smile.

Gavin wasn't convinced, but he forced a smile back for Michael's sake... or maybe for his own sake because he just really wanted things to go back to normal between him and Michael. It didn't seem like that was gonna happen anytime soon no matter how badly they both wanted it to.

“Well,” Michael spoke, getting the Brit out of his thoughts. Michael patted Gavin's arm and said, “We both got shit to do, so back to work, Gavvy.”And with that, Michael turned back around, rubbed his face, and walked into the Achievement Hunter office.

That couldn't have gone worse...

Gavin merely stood there, wishing completely that their conversation had gone in a totally different direction. He wasn't very good with words when it came to Michael though. He wanted to feel as if at one point he was, but no. With Michael, things weren't ever easy, and it wasn't in a bad way, either. It was just the way Michael always made him feel – like a kid in middle school who had just gotten his first real crush, and that was no good with the situation Gavin was currently in.

 

 


	3. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't know if I'll actually keep these a weekly thing or not... hmm... maybe i'll post twice a week... hmmm :)

The rest of the day seemed to drag on, which was odd because Michael had never felt extremely anxious to get home before, especially since getting a job at Rooster Teeth. But he was conflicted from wanting the day to just end already or wanting to go on in hopes that something better would happen. It wasn't a completely awful day, but it was questionable.

He exited the Achievement Hunter office and waited by the front door for Geoff to appear. He smiled and said goodbye to everyone else that walked by him to get outside, but he mainly kept his eyes on everyone that came from down the hallway. One of them would eventually be Gavin.

And then finally, the one moment Michael looked away, Gavin did appear. The blond smiled at the sight of Michael just standing around – all alone. Gavin couldn't help but be as quiet as he could as he walked up to him. Michael looked back just as Gavin was getting ready to shout out “Boo” in his face. So what he caught was Gavin with his hands slowly rising up and a look of shame on his face instead.

Michael furrowed his eyebrows and crossed his arms.

“Nice try, Gavin,” he said.

Gavin put his hands down and laughed.

“Geoff said that we should wait for him outside,” Gavin explained, “and he would be out soon.”

Michael glanced over at the hallway before nodding and heading out the door with Gavin. From the time they got back to the office after lunch til now, Gavin had time to think over what he wanted to say to Michael. He had time to plan ways he could rekindle his once close friendship with him. He needed to bring up his little idea now before Geoff came along or before they got home where Dan and Griffon was and he would no longer have time to ask Michael anything.

_You asked him this a million times in your head_ , Gavin thought to himself; he had to get himself motivated,  _it worked out each time. Do it the way you thought it out._

Gavin smiled softly and when he and Michael reached Geoff's car, he took a deep breath and turned to Michael.

“How do you feel about taking a nice long walk near the Lady Bird lake?” Gavin asked him, hoping he didn't sound eager or anything, because it wasn't as if he was...

Michael blinked, admittedly a little surprised by that question, but he looked at Gavin. That was a serious question? Gavin really wanted them to go back to the place they spent so much time together? The place their broke up took place? As Michael looked over Gavin's face, saw that stupid smile of his getting bigger, Michael knew that yes; yes indeed, that was a serious question. A question that Gavin almost seemed like he couldn't wait for the answer. And Michael wasn't sure if he could say 'no' to that if he even wanted to.

“Sure,” he finally answered, and he could have sworn he saw Gavin's face actually light up at that.

_God damnit, Gavin._

“How does after dinner sound?” Gavin asked, his smile more relaxed and confident now.

Michael swallowed hard as an attempt to rid of the warm feeling forming in his stomach. He nodded and the corners of his lips rose slightly. He was ready to say something when Geoff walked out and announced his presence.

“I'm here!” Geoff called, shaking his car keys in his hand. “Let's go home and eat!”

 

* * *

 

Food was one of the greatest things, but when all Michael could think about at dinner was that he was going to go on a walk with Gavin to a place that they knew all too well. He didn't want to admit out loud, or even in his mind, how much he was looking forward to it. Their was conversation at the table, as always, but Michael was only paying attention to finishing his food and of all the things he wanted to talk to Gavin about. Occasionally, he would hear Dan's voice and he would get the urge to roll his eyes, but he resisted every time and went back to his own thoughts instead.

A part of him wanted to talk to Gavin more about England. He wanted the whole story, about how everything happened, even if it meant he had to feel jealous and annoyed during some parts. But he wanted to make sure Gavin truly was okay, that he was really happy where he was in life now.

And after everyone was done eating, Michael and Gavin looked at each other and nodded.

“Geoff, we'll be back later,” Gavin said as he placed his dish into the sink.

Dan got up from the table and walked over to Gavin. “Where you are two going?” He asked, looking back and forth from Gavin and Michael.

Michael sighed quietly but it was Gavin that answered, “We're going for a walk down by this lake we used to take walks by.”

Dan raised his eyebrows before turning to Michael. Michael expected some sort of bitter response from Dan, but what he got was completely different.

Dan actually smiled and said, “That's nice. I hope you two have fun.”

Michael idly wondered if that kind voice was forced at the moment, or Dan really hoped he and Gavin would have a good time. He shook away the thought and mumbled a 'thanks' to Dan before heading towards the front door.

“Okay, just don't be out all night,” Geoff said in a teasing voice as he winked at Gavin.

Gavin laughed and shook his head.

“Yeah, we aren't fifteen, Geoff,” Michael told him.

“So? Doesn't mean I don't have a right to still worry about you two.”

Michael had to smile at that. He and Gavin waved a goodbye and stepped out of the house. At first, they were thinking about taking Geoff's car to drive over there, but the weather wasn't so bad – it was actually beautiful – and they went with just walking there.

With all the walking they would be doing with getting there and then being there, Michael knew they needed something to talk about to occupy the time. Although, the silence between them wasn't very unnerving.

“I told you before,” Michael started, “That I wasn't going to make you talk about-”

“That's partly the reason I asked you to walk with me tonight,” Gavin interrupted him to say.

Michael looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but waited for the blond to go on.

“I thought about talking about many things with you,” Gavin explained, “That was one of the main topics that kept popping into my head.”

“Look, you don't have to. I shouldn't have brought it up at all, but I just-”

“I _want_ to talk about it now,” Gavin said as he stopped walking.

Michael licked his lips and stopped as well to face him. Slowly, he nodded. The two began walking again as Gavin thought about ways he could start the story. It was actually taking some amount of time for Gavin to speak, but Michael said nothing about it. Gavin needed to take his time with this, but by the time the Brit finally spoke up, Michael noticed they were only a few minutes away from the lake.

“After, uh,” Gavin sounded hesitant that Michael was on the verge of changing the subject for Gavin's sake. But Gavin continued, “After her death,” it was upsetting to hear how he couldn't even say who, “I wanted to be alone. I wanted to be alone before it, but just after, I never wanted anyone anywhere near me at all.”

Gavin was looking down as he talked and Michael wanted to grab his hand to comfort him; to squeeze it reassuringly as if to tell him “It's okay”. He wasn't sure if that would be considered okay, though, so he didn't do anything but continued to listen as Gavin carefully began to talk about the funeral.

 

* * *

 

It was the day no one was waiting for, but a day that came anyway. It happened a few weeks after her death and though that did give people some time to grieve, most still felt like a mess and attending the funeral only reopened the wounds. Nobody really talked. Nobody said, “It's nice to see you”, “How are you?”, or “It's such a tragedy what happened,” because nobody was really happy to see anyone there. Nobody was 'fine'. And everyone knew it was a tragedy. They didn't need someone pointing out the obvious.

Gavin refused to go. His parents had to practically drag him out of bed, and even after Gavin showered and got dressed, he still crawled back into bed and faced the wall.

“Gavin?” Mrs. Free's soft voice appeared from the other side of the door, along with a knock.

“What?” Gavin asked, sitting up a little since he knew what she was about to tell him.

“It's time to go.”

Gavin sighed quietly. He probably had only gone to one funeral before in his life and he just wasn't ready to go to his next, especially not his grandmother's; one he thought he wouldn't have to go to until much later in life.

It all happened so soon – too soon. He just wasn't ready to let go.

“Gavin?” His mother asked again.

Gavin closed his eyes and sighed through his nose. “Okay,” he said, “I'll be out in a moment.” He heard footsteps walk away and get further and further from his room.

Maybe five minutes passed, maybe ten – he didn't really know – until he finally stood up and walked out of his room. His parents were downstairs, sitting on the couch. He honestly knew much time had passed since his mother went to go get him, but he was thankful that his parents had actually just... _waited_ for him.

“Are you ready to go?” Mr. Free asked.

Gavin shook his head, but he said, “We're going to be late.” Even though, they had already been considered late for the passed half hour.

At the funeral, people made their speeches, and many broke down while hearing them. Gavin looked around to see his cousins practically holding each other as they sobbed and he furrowed his eyebrows. He was upset. He felt crushed. But... he didn't want to cry.

Why didn't he want to cry? Everyone else was crying. His mother was crying. His father's eyes were watery.

Yet, Gavin just didn't feel like crying. He hadn't cried at all. He had heard his mother up late at night, her face probably drenched in tears (Gavin would assume from how loudly she was crying) and he would hear his father comforting her. It would be about an hour of that until everything would quiet down and he finally got to sleep.

But even when asleep, Gavin still didn't find any peace. He would see Michael in his dreams – see that smile with those dimples that were his favorite. He would hear Michael's voice; how calming it could sound even when Michael was screaming in anger. It was just a voice Gavin wanted to hear. It was the voice that belonged to the only person Gavin wanted to see.

But he couldn't call.

He couldn't fly out to Texas to see Michael.

Well, he actually could, though he chose not to. He chose not to even when he knew it'd be best if he did.

Gavin had called Geoff, though, a few days before the funeral and asked how Michael was.

“Michael's fine,” Geoff had told him, “Don't you worry about him. He'll never have anymore problems. So stop worrying. Michael is one less person you need to worry about.”

“That doesn't mean I still don't think about him everyday,” Gavin answered, his voice lacking any sign of emotion.

“I know, buddy. He still thinks about you everyday, too.”

Gavin nodded even though Geoff couldn't see him. The call lasted around fifteen more minutes; most of it being pure silence, and Gavin didn't bother calling Geoff the next day, or the next, or when he came home from the funeral. He didn't want to hear the voices of those that made him feel better.

He didn't want to see faces of family and friends coming to visit him to check up on him.

He just wanted to be alone.

Why didn't anyone understand that?

He wanted to be _alone_.

He knew he would be fine if everyone just left him alone for a few days, to give him time to process everything and accept it.

Except that a few days was turning into weeks...

 

* * *

 

Midway through the story, Michael and Gavin had made it to the lake, but instead of walking on the path, they sat on the grass and stared out at the water as Gavin kept on talking. With how the moon was rising and its light causing the water to sparkle, it was peaceful, and it made it easier for Gavin to explain everything without feeling down.

After Gavin finished, he took a deep breath and put up his hands.

“I was fine, though,” he said.

“No, you weren't,” Michael told him.

“I am now, aren't I?” Gavin asked with a crooked grin on his face.

Michael looked away and shrugged. “Do you think we should head back?”

Gavin looked out at the water again. This place was definitely something he missed, so he shook his head and said, “Not now.”

Michael smiled softly. “Okay,” he said. “We can stay as long as you want.”

“Don't give me that power. I'll say all night.”

Michael laughed at that, though he didn't say anything. When Gavin had been saying his story, Michael had watched the expressions on his face. He saw how Gavin went from concentration (most likely from trying to find the right way to explain a certain part) to anger, and then to barely anything. It was something Michael never wanted to see again, and he hoped he would never have to.

And as he turned his attention back to the water, to find peace in the view again, he felt arms wrap around. Gavin was practically on top of him as he tried hugging Michael in their sitting position, and although it wasn't the most comfortable kind of hug, Michael smiled and returned it with no second thoughts.

“I'll always be here for you, Gav,” Michael whispered into Gavin's ear.

Gavin nodded and tightened the embrace a little more before letting go and sitting back. And just like that, the excitement Gavin had earlier after work was back. Michael wanted to feel that way, too, but with a hug like that from someone he loved, he couldn't. He couldn't when he was too distracted from his heart racing and his stomach making flips everywhere.

“God damnit,” he muttered under his breath as he rubbed his eyes.

“What was that?” Gavin asked.

“Nothing,” Michael sighed as he looked at him, “Nothing at all.”

And Gavin smiled at him, making Michael roll his eyes because he hated how much that face could heighten his emotions.

“Why are you rolling your eyes at me?” Gavin asked, though he sounded as if he was about to laugh.

“Because you're an idiot,” Michael answered him with a quite forced smile.

Gavin merely stared at Michael at first, clearly taking in what Michael had just said to him, then he nodded. “I know,” he said proudly.

 

 

* * *

 

When the Ramsey house came into view, Michael felt himself fill with relief he could just go upstairs and take a long shower before bed. He would be able to feel the warm water relaxing his muscles, making his tired eyes yearn for his bed even more, which would just make sleep all the more enjoyable. He was so exhausted from work and the long walk to and from the lake.

As they walked through the door, Gavin was greeted with a kiss from Dan that caused Michael to visibly cringe at the sight. And he hoped no one saw that, either. He didn't want to seem rude, but he hadn't been able to stop himself.

“Time for bed!” Geoff called from the top of the steps, already dressed in his green pajama pants and white t-shirt.

Michael looked up at him with a smile. “I'm on my way up there for a quick shower,” he said.

At this point, Gavin and Dan had separated, thankfully, as Dan headed into the kitchen for some water.

“Good,” Geoff said to Michael, “because we have an early day tomorrow.”

Michael almost groaned, but he nodded instead. He then noticed how Gavin was still standing there next to him. Michael gave him a small smile and said, “I had fun,” before starting his walk up the stairs.

“Me too,” Gavin said, “I think we should do something else together.”

This made Michael halt in his tracks and look at Gavin over his shoulder. He didn't even have to think about it and Gavin didn't even have to ask, because Michael wanted nothing but more time with Gavin.

“Yeah, fuck yeah,” Michael told him. “Just let me know when and where.”

Gavin smiled and nodded. “I will. Goodnight, Michael,” he whispered.

Michael felt himself not able to look away, but he did as he sighed. He needed to stop letting his feelings try to get through. He needed to stop letting them try to ruin this week for him. He couldn't screw this up. He refused to screw this up, even if that meant that in the end, Gavin would still be going back to England on Monday with Dan and that it would probably be another few months, or another _year_ until Michael saw Gavin again.

He couldn't screw this up, no matter how badly he wanted to just hold Gavin and tell him how much he loved him, because he was going to attempt to not think about any of that. He couldn't afford to.

That didn't mean it was going to be simple, though.

Feelings weren't simple. They were anything but that.

“Night, Gav,” Michael said softly as he continued up the stairs.

 


	4. Four

It had been weeks; weeks with barely any communication with anyone that didn't live in the household and weeks without hardly stepping outside. But Gavin felt safe in his bedroom. He didn't have to deal with anyone or anything. Although, admittedly, Gavin was beginning to feel a bit stir crazy. And lonely. So very lonely.

It had been weeks.

What had he been doing?

Had he even been grieving? He barely recalled the last time he really thought about his grandmother. He didn't know how to feel about that, either. Should he feel guilty for not thinking about her? Should he feel proud that, in some way, he was moving on from the pain? But contemplating that only opened the wounds again, and suddenly, being in his bedroom, away from the world, was once again and haven.

Gavin sat up and rubbed his face, though he flinched at the sound of knocks at his door. His mother, most likely, coming to tell him that dinner was ready. Gavin checked the time on his phone and furrowed his eyebrows. Well, it seemed a bit too early for dinner.

Another knock.

“Who is it?” Gavin asked, still expecting to hear his mother's voice, probably to convince to come downstairs.

“It's Dan,” the voice replied.

Oh.

Gavin sighed deeply. He hadn't spoken to Dan since he called him the day he got the news. Even at the funeral, Gavin didn't speak to Dan. Dan attempted to start some sort of conversation, many times, but Gavin wasn't responsive for any of them. Dan was his best friend and one of the best people to talk to during this time, but Gavin just couldn't bare to look anyone he cared about in the eye when he felt so destructive inside.

“Come in,” Gavin barely sound loud enough for Dan to hear.

Dan entered the bedroom, quickly noticing how things were tossed around. Gavin wasn't always great with keeping his stuff organized and neat, but it was never this bad. It looked as though Gavin completely forgot the concept of a closet and chose every corner to be it instead. Dan could feel an ache in his chest at the sight of it all, because he knew that was only part of a sign of how broken Gavin really was.

“Gav,” Dan spoke as he slowly closed the door behind him.

Gavin didn't look at him though. Dan hesitated a moment before bending down and beginning to pick up a few articles of clothing.

“Leave it, Dan,” Gavin said, his voice bitter, “I'll get it later.”

Dan let the clothes drop from his hands as he nodded. “Okay,” he said, “I'm sorry. I just wanted to-”

“Help?” Gavin asked, finally turning his head to look at Dan.

Dan stiffened when he noticed the bags forming under Gavin's eyes, how small and practically helpless the blond looked. Dan had seen Gavin through some pretty rough times, but never anything like this. It was heartbreaking and terrible, and Dan wished he could already erase the thought of seeing Gavin like that. He almost couldn't bare it.

“Yeah,” he answered after some time, “I wanted to help. I _want_ to help, Gav.” He took a few steps towards Gavin, but then Gavin glared at him, causing Dan to stop.

Gavin noticed how quick Dan was to halt in his tracks that he breathed out a laugh; a laugh with no emotion at all, as if he was only laughing for the sake of it. Dan blinked, but he said nothing as he watched the expressions of Gavin's face change from that hint of annoyance to absolute devastation.

“You know I haven't thought about her much lately,” Gavin said softly.

Dan swallowed hard and titled his head slightly. He opened his mouth to say something, but Gavin stopped him by holding up a finger.

“I think my world might be possibly falling apart,” Gavin's words were bland, but there was still quick a crack in his voice.

“Gavin-”

“I lost my grandmother,” Gavin said as he looked away from Dan, “I don't even think I said 'goodbye'. I thought I was still going to see her for a few more days. I thought I would still have my chance for a proper goodbye.”

“No one can predict exactly what's going to happen, B,” Dan told him, taking one more step towards Gavin, “As much as we try to plan out everything out-”

“And Michael,” Gavin interrupted, though he seemed like he hadn't even been listening to Dan at all, “I haven't spoken to Michael in fucking forever.” His eyes looked glazed and dull as he faced Dan again, and Dan could see the pain behind them; pain Gavin was determined to keep inside.

“Oh, then you should give him a call,” Dan said as he slowly picked up Gavin's phone from the nightstand. “Talk to him,” he held out the phone for Gavin to grab, but Gavin looked away again.

“Nah,” Gavin simply replied.

“There's no harm in calling him,” Dan told him.

Gavin bit down on chapped lower lip. He could feel a small burn in his eyes and he inhaled sharply to get rid of it.

“Would you like me to call him for you?” Dan asked as he held up the phone, “I'll pass the phone to you when you're-”

“No!” Gavin shouted as he jumped up from his bed.

Dan sighed and closed his eyes. “Gavin-”

“I'll ruin _everything_ for him!” Gavin continued to shout.

Dan opened his eyes again and furrowed his eyebrows at Gavin. “What?” He asked, wondering if Gavin was serious about that, but when he saw no sign of false on Gavin's face, Dan shook his head. “No, Gav. Don't you say that. If you need to talk to him, then talk to him. You won't be ruining anything.”

“I would!” Gavin screamed as he threw his hands up, and despite the clear fiery in Gavin's tone and the way his face was getting red, Dan remained calm through it.

“He doesn't need me back in his life,” the blond continued to say, “Geoff told me he's been doing great. Why would I interrupt that?!”

Could there actually be right words to say in that moment? Dan wasn't quite sure. He and Gavin had always been able to say the right things to each other, to make it all better, but Gavin had never been so crushed before. Neither of them had ever been in a situation such as that one. It wasn't something they were used to, something they were sure they could get passed, and Dan was left with nothing to say. It was fine, too, because Gavin didn't want Dan to say anything at all.

But Dan did close the same space between as he wrapped his arms around Gavin, squeezing the blond tightly. Gavin didn't return the hug at first. He merely stood there, confused as to why he was even being hugged, but when it was clear Dan wasn't letting go, Gavin took a deep breath and hugged him back.

It didn't make anything better, it didn't take the problems away, but it was a comfort Gavin didn't know he needed, or wanted.

 

* * *

 

Gavin slowly opened his eyes to realize he wasn't in his own bedroom, he didn't feel like a wreck, he was okay, and... he wasn't alone. He looked over to find Dan still sleeping next to him. Gavin had a bit of a habit of kissing Dan before he got out of bed if Dan had been sleeping next to him, but that morning – Wednesday morning – he didn't feel like it. Gavin slowly got out of the bed and yawned as he rubbed his eyes. He took one last look at Dan before heading out of the guest room.

Downstairs in the kitchen, Michael, Geoff, and Griffon were at the table, enjoying breakfast together as they discussed the day's plans.

The corners of Gavin's lips rose at the sight of that. They looked like a genuine family – mother, father, and their son, laughing at every other word spoken by one of them. It only reminded Gavin how much he missed living there, when he was the one sitting in Michael's spot. Though he didn't mind at all to see Michael there instead of himself. Michael being there made it all the better.

Gavin walked over and sat down in the empty seat next to Michael, giving him a small smile before he grabbed the cereal box from the center of the table.

“Oh, good morning, Gavin,” Griffon greeted him with her usual bright smile.

Michael went ahead and passed the gallon of milk to Gavin as he said, “Maybe we can hang out after work today. Well, uh... if you aren't busy.”

Gavin grinned at him and shook his head. “I don't think I will be,” he answered.

Geoff and Griffon exchanged looks before smiling at the two boys.

Michael nodded and went back to finishing his cereal. Geoff got up from his seat and headed to the sink.

“When you two are ready,” he said, “Let me know.” With that, he walked out of the kitchen.

Griffon stood up as well. She placed her bowl in the sink and told the guys to have a good day at work. Michael and Gavin smiled and nodded at her. She gave them both quick kisses on their heads before leaving. Michael looked at Gavin and noticed how particularly quiet Gavin was. Something seemed off and for a moment, Michael blamed himself, because it probably had to do with the fact that he got Gavin to think about his grandmother again.

Gavin began eating his cereal in silence and Michael couldn't take it.

“Hey,” he spoke, causing Gavin to look up.

Michael squinted his eyes as he looked over Gavin's face. Well, the blond didn't exactly seem upset, but it was just the way he was being oddly quiet.

“You okay?” Michael asked anyway.

Gavin swallowed the cereal in his mouth and nodded. “Yeah, why wouldn't I be?”

Michael shrugged. “Oh, well... I was just making sure.”

Gavin sighed softly and was hardly able to keep himself from smiling. “Thanks for the concern,” he said, but he and Michael continued to eat their cereal in peaceful silence.

 

* * *

 

“We don't really need you in the studio today,” Geoff said to Gavin as they walked into the Rooster Teeth building, “but I did still ask you to come because I came up with a great idea.”

Gavin furrowed his eyebrows and looked to Michael for an answer, but Michael was just as clueless. The two followed Geoff into the Achievement Hunter office and watched as Geoff pulled out the chair from the empty desk next to Michael's. Both the lads rose their eyebrows, beginning to realize what Geoff was about to ask.

“Gavin, how do you feel about joining in on today's let's play?” Geoff was grinning, obviously excited at the thought of having Gavin record something with them.

Gavin and Michael looked at each other, smiles on their faces, and Michael nodded at Gavin.

“You didn't even have to ask,” Gavin answered.

“You assholes can move out of the way, you know?” Ray's voice appeared from behind.

Michael and Gavin turned around to look at Ray with his arms crossed, but a hint of a smile forming on his face.

“I mean, Gav,” Ray said, “I like having you here, but come on, this office is small enough without you standing there.”

Gavin laughed and moved out of the way, enough to give Ray a path to his desk.

“Gavin's recording with us today,” Geoff told Ray, “which is why he's even in here.”

Ray paused just as he was about to sit down. He turned his head to face them again. “You are?” He asked Gavin.

Gavin nodded, his excited grin showing now.

Ray glanced at Michael a second before he returned the grin. “Oh, man, that's awesome,” he said as he patted Gavin's arm, “but you were still in the way. Don't be an asshole like that.”

Geoff laughed at that as he headed to his own desk.

Two hours later after every Achievement Hunter was in the room and everything was set up, especially for Gavin since it was his first time recording, and then they were ready.

“Gavin, you know what to do, right?” Geoff asked right as they were loading the game.

Gavin nodded and gave Geoff a thumbs up. “Be amazing,” he said, “which shouldn't be too hard.”

Michael scoffed and rolled his eyes, but he smiled when he saw Gavin staring at him.

They started playing and Geoff did the intro, “Alright, so for this episode,” he began, “we have a very special guest. Gavin say 'hello'.”

“Hello!” Gavin cheerfully chimed into the mic, laughing afterwards.

“That may have been the perfect amount of excitement,” Jack told him.

“Great,” Ray said, his tone anything but enthusiastic, “Now everyone's going to like Gavin and ask for him in more videos.”

Everyone laughed at that, but Gavin shook his head.

“Unfortunately, I think this may be one of the only Achievement Hunter videos I'll be in,” he said, and Michael immediately stopped laughing, “If I visit again, which I do plan to visit often, I'll see if Geoff will allow me to-”

“Oh shut up,” Geoff interrupted, “Yeah you can be in more videos whenever you come visit.” And that received a quiet “Yes!” from Gavin.

“Alright, so I'm going to explain what we're going to be doing today in Minecraft,” Geoff started to say.

Michael was half listening to the rules and half distracted with hitting Gavin's character.

“Ow,” Gavin whispered, “Stop that.”

“No, Gavin, it's okay,” Michael whispered back, “I'm just patting you for good luck.” He got out a diamond sword he had inside his chest and going after Gavin again, though Gavin was no longer paying attention to him.

“First one to get all that done and get back wins,” Geoff was finishing off his explanation, “Ready? One, two, three, go!”

Michael tried holding his laughter as he stood behind Gavin in the game and shouted, “Good luck, Gavin!” before killing Gavin with his sword.

“Michael!” Gavin shrieked, and an eruption of laughter went throughout the room.

“First kill goes to Michael,” Geoff said through his laugh.

“Finally it's not Ryan,” Ray said as he glanced over at Ryan.

“I'm on a break,” Ryan answered.

“That's going to last like, what, a minute?” Michael asked.

“Nah.”

Michael laughed again and shook his head. “Gavin, that took me one hit,” he said, “I killed you with one hit, you weak piece of shit.”

“My health was already down from you _patting_ me for good luck earlier,” Gavin told him.

“And you didn't think to look out for Michael?” Jack asked.

“I realize my mistake,” Gavin said, “Especially because I have played Minecraft with Michael before.”

Michael swallowed hard and smiled. “Yeah, those were... good times, Gav.”

Gavin looked at Michael with a frown, but he nodded. “They were,” he said, “I wouldn't have changed any moment of it.”

Michael's smile grew at that, and he faced Gavin as he said, “Me neither, Gav.” 

Ray looked over at the two more concentrated in staring at each other rather than the game, and though it was sweet to see them like that, Ray still poked Michael's side to get his attention back. 

Michael barely jumped, but he looked at Ray with a raised eyebrow.

“Stop drooling,” Ray mouthed. 

Michael began wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and Ray just laughed.

“I wasn't being serious,” he mouthed again.

“Oh,” Michael mouthed back, feeling a bit silly, but he shrugged it off. 

After that, he and Gavin were actually playing the game instead of staring at each other. Like every recording, something happened that left them all weak with laughter. This time, it was what happened to Gavin, though. Killing was allowed for this particular episode, and Gavin was in the lead to win, which came to a huge shocker to everyone. 

“I don't think anyone is near me, either,” Gavin said as he made his character sprint towards the finish line. “My first let's play with you guys and I win,” he sounded so smug, so proud that everyone in the room groaned. 

“And there it is!” Gavin practically squeaked as he tried sprinting again, but his character no longer could. “Oh, oh... it's okay. I'm going to win anyway.”

“Are you sure?” Ryan asked.

Gavin nodded, “Yeah, of cour- Ahh! Ryan!” And Gavin's character was down.

As loud and uncontrollable laughter filled the room, mainly from Geoff, Ryan sat back and crossed his arms proudly. 

“I'm going to be honest and say that I was waiting there ever since you mention that you were in the lead,” Ryan said. 

“Why?” Gavin asked, both amusement and despair in his voice. 

“Because I wasn't going to win anyway,” Ryan told him, “I thought it would be funny.”

Geoff laughed even harder now.

“Jesus Christ,” Michael said as he laughed softly. 

“Well, that makes me the winner then,” Jack said as he made it to the finish line.

“What?!” Gavin shouted out as he spun around in his chair to see if Jack was right about that. 

But indeed he was.

“Jack Pattillo, everyone!” Michael cheered as he put his controller down and began to clap. 

“What?!” Gavin took off his headphones and walked over to Jack's computer, “No, that was going to be me.”

“I know,” Jack said. He looked over at Ryan and smiled, “Thanks Ryan.”

“Yeah, well,” Ryan shrugged.

“Ryan, what have I ever done to you?” Gavin asked him.

“Like I said, I thought it would be funny. It was. People laughed. I'm happy.”

With a pout, Gavin sat back down. 

“Well, that's it for this episode,” Geoff said, “What will we be doing next week, Jack?”

“Why are you asking me?” Jack asked with a laugh.

“I was hoping you'd know, since I don't fucking know.”

“I guess we'll have to wait and see.”

“Yeah, let's stop.” 

And everyone stopped their recordings before exiting out of the game. 

Geoff checked the time and sighed in relief, “Oh, thank god. It's almost lunch time. I'm starving, but I also gotta take a dump,” he said as he got up from his seat.

“Careful with that toilet,” Ray teased. 

Michael licked his lips and turned to face Gavin. “So, uh, that was fun,” he said.

Gavin laughed and nodded. “Of course it was fun. I lost.”

“It was meant to be that way, Gav.” And Gavin only laughed a bit more. 

“Anyway,” Michael continued to speak, “I was thinking that maybe we could go swimming or something after we're done here for the day. You do swim, right? Or at least know how to?”

Gavin's eyes brightened. “I do!” He answered, “And that sounds like a bloody good idea. I'm in.”

Michael pretended as if his heart didn't just jump at the sound of Gavin's answer and the joy that followed it. He scratched his head and smiled.

“Alright, well, I can't wait then,” Michael told him, and he turned his chair to face his computer screen again.

Gavin got up and left the room to retrieve a drink after asking anyone else if wanted anything. 

“Water,” Ryan answered.

“I'll have water, too,” Ray said, “And thanks.”

Gavin nodded and was out the door after that. Michael rested his head on his hand, biting down on his lower lip to stop himself from smiling because it was actually beginning to hurt his cheeks. 

“ _Someone's_ happy,” Ray said quietly in that teasing tone of his. 

And that was the trick Michael needed to get himself to stop smiling finally, and he glared at Ray. 

“ _Oh_ , kind of how you smile every time Joel's in the room?” Michael asked.

Ray rolled his eyes. “That's not even true. Shut up,” he mumbled.

“Oh, really?”

“Yes.”

“Well...” Michael got up from his chair and headed to the door.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Ray asked as he sat up.

Michael opened the door and called out, “Joel! Hey, Joel!”

Ray's eyes widened and he jumped up from his seat to go over and drag Michael away.

“What?” Joel responded, clearly not sounding nearby, but also not _too_ far away.

Ray grabbed Michael by the arm and started pulling him, but Michael held onto the door's frame with his free hand.

“Hey! Can you come to the Achievement Hunter office real quick?!” Michael called to Joel. “Ray needs you!” He made sure those last three words were louder than the others.

“No! No, I don't!” Ray shouted out. “Joel, it's-” but Michael slapped his hand against Ray's mouth.

“Christ, Ray, relax,” Michael told him, though he was grinning. “You'll thank me later.” He put his hand down and Ray had given up by now on trying to stop Joel from coming over to them.

“This isn't high school,” Ray told Michael, and he was going to continue to say more about it when Joel appeared at the door. And Ray quickly stood up correctly and brushed off his shirt. Michael smirked, knowing Joel was standing behind him.

“Hey,” Joel greeted. “What did you guys need?”

“Oh, right,” Michael moved out of the way to allow Joel to walk into their small office.

Ray glared at Michael but Michael just stopped by him to whisper, “I told you, you'll thank me later.”

And Michael sat back down as Ray was stuck standing face-to-face with Joel.

“Well, uh,” Ray cleared his throat and turned around to go to his desk, “I wanted your opinion on a video I edited a bit before I left yesterday.”

Joel furrowed his eyebrows, because it wasn't really a normal thing for Ray to ask him for something like that. “Okay. Why did you ask me?”

“Because... uh,” Ray looked over at Michael for help, but Michael merely smiled as he mindlessly looked at his computer screen.

Ray sighed and looked at Joel again. He stepped a little to the left when he realized how close their faces were. _Right now would be a good time for Gavin to come back with my water,_ he thought.

“Uh, I like the way you think,” Ray was relieved he was able to come up with that, but it was honestly true, too, “so... I decided that who better to... help me decide if this is good enough so far than Joel?”

Joel merely squinted his eyes at Ray as Ray talked, but slowly, he smiled. He turned his attention to Ray's screen and held up his hand.

“Alright, then show me,” he said.

Ray nodded and quickly looked for the video. Michael glanced over at the two before turning away and giving himself a silent cheer.

* * *

 

When work was done and Geoff, Michael, and Gavin were heading home, Michael asked Gavin how his day was.

“Fairly easy,” Gavin said, “I didn't know it could be that much fun recording a let's play with you all.”

“Yeah, it was pretty hilarious having you there,” Geoff said, almost laughing as he thought back to it.

Michael grinned and looked at Gavin again. “Hey when we get home, we should take a bag filled with some stuff to the pool.”

Gavin nodded.

The rest of the car ride was mainly filled with music playing on the radio, one that Geoff kept changing because he wasn't fond of any of the songs that would play. Michael and Gavin didn't mind. They just kept staring out the window until they arrived at the house.

“So will you two be back in time for dinner or?” Geoff asked as he watch the two step out of the car.

“We'll let you know,” Michael said, and Gavin nodded in agreement.

The three of them headed inside as Michael began to list a few things Gavin needed to bring along.

“Got it,” Gavin would say after each item Michael would mention.

They started running up the stairs when Dan's voice caused them to halt in their tracks, but it wasn't just his voice that made them stop; it was what he said.

“Hey, Gav,” Dan spoke, “I made reservations at this restaurant Griffon told me about. She said it was one of the best and I thought you and I could have a nice evening out tonight.”

Michael froze a moment before he sighed in defeat. Gavin frowned as he looked at Michael, but he tried not looking _too_ disappointed as he turned around to face Dan.

“Oh, Dan, you could have told me,” Gavin said, hoping he didn't sound rude in any way.

Dan smiled, though, and said, “I wanted it to be a surprise. I thought you'd be happy, especially after working all day.”

Gavin tried to smile, but he knew it probably looked as forced as it was. “I think that's really thoughtful of you, Dan.” He started walking back down the stairs and Michael felt his heart drop as he looked down at his feet.

“But I actually already made plans with Michael,” Gavin told Dan.

Michael's eyes widened as he looked back at them. He really hadn't expected Gavin to bring that up at all, but he was relieved that Gavin did.

Dan raised his eyebrows as he looked up at Michael. “Oh,” he said with a nod, his eyes going back to Gavin, “Oh well, that's fine. I can cancel and reschedule for another night?”

“Dan, I'm sorry,” Gavin started to say, but Dan shook his head.

“No, it's okay, Gav. You're right. I should have told you to make sure you didn't already have other plans. It's my fault.” Dan looked at Michael again and smiled, “I hope you aren't mad at me for almost ruining the plans.”

Michael sighed. If Dan wasn't one of the nicest guys he'd ever met, then maybe Michael would have been able to go through with his plans with Gavin. But he couldn't. Gavin wasn't his boyfriend. He was Dan's, and what kind of person would he be if he tried separating a couple?

“No, Dan,” Michael spoke, “It's okay. Take Gavin to dinner. You already made the reservation and what we were gonna do doesn't require one, so it can happen anytime.”

Gavin furrowed his eyebrows at Michael. “But Michael-”

“I'm not taking 'no' for an answer, Gavin,” Michael said as he headed down the stairs. He smiled softly and went on, “Dan wants a romantic night, and hey, that's what he's getting.”

“I really can cancel,” Dan said, but Michael shook his head and held up his hand.

“No, you shouldn't have to.”

Gavin licked his lips. On one hand, he really did want to go swimming with Michael. From the second Michael told him about, Gavin was excited for it... but on the other hand, he knew it was good to spend time with a significant other.

“We can go swimming tomorrow, yeah?” He asked Michael.

Michael nodded, a bland smile on his face. “Yeah, I'd like that,” he said.

“Hey, maybe even Dan can join us,” Gavin added as he turned to grin at said person.

Michael's smile fell a bit, and he had no doubt it looked more annoyed than anything, “Yeah... I'd... like that,” and he didn't care how unhappy he sounded about it either.

“No,” Dan answered, laughing a bit. “I don't want to ruin your plans again. I already feel bad that I ruined tonight.” He looked at Michael again and sighed. “Thank you for understanding, Michael.”

Michael nodded. He didn't even bother saying anymore as he turned around and started going back up the stairs. Gavin felt a pang of guilt go through him and he had to call up, “Tomorrow, Michael! Don't forget!”

Michael looked at Gavin over his shoulder, but he didn't smile as he said, “Of course I won't forget.” _I can't forget anything that involves you, you... idiot._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos to you if you know why there was no Tower of Pimps when Jack won :)


	5. Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. This was one of those chapters I kept changing up because I could NOT get satisfied with it haha and sorry that it's a rather short one. The next will be longer!!!

Geoff had already gone into the backyard to talk to Griffon about his day when they heard a door slam from inside. For a moment, they just stared at each other, wondering silently what had just happened.

“Was that Dan?” Griffon asked.

“It must have been,” Geoff told her, “since the boys are supposed to be going out to the pool.”

Griffon smiled at the thought of Michael and Gavin reconnecting better, then her eyebrows rose when she realized something.

“You don't think Dan's angry about it, do you?” She asked Geoff.

Geoff wanted to laugh, because Dan really didn't seem like the type to get really angry over something like that, but then again, Geoff barely knew him. He hurried inside to see what was going on with Dan. He thought about calling out for him, but then decided it would be better to go upstairs and knock on his door. But that's when Geoff noticed the guest room's door opened, and no one was inside.

Geoff furrowed his eyebrows and was about to head back out, thinking maybe he and Griffon had just heard things, but a loud, very annoyed, groan had him halt in his tracks. He looked over his shoulder to find that Michael's door was closed. Usually Michael left it open when he wasn't in there, so that had to mean...

“Oh, no,” Geoff said under his breath before he walked up to Michael's door.

He hesitated a moment, but then lifted up his fist and knocked on the door a few times. There was no response at first; just silence. Geoff was about to walk away and let Michael take his time, but then the door opened just as Geoff was turning away. And Geoff looked back to see Michael standing there in the doorway, the expression on his face screaming how irritated he was.

All Geoff could ask was, “What happened?” because everything was fine just ten minutes earlier.

Michael huffed and stepped out of his room with his arms crossed. “Dan had reservations to a restaurant,” he practically grumbled. He didn't want to seem upset about the whole thing, but he was. He wanted to be fine about it, though he really couldn't be.

Geoff frowned and placed his hand on Michael's shoulder. “Hey, I'm sorry, buddy,” he said, “I know-”

“No,” Michael said as he shook his head, “It's fine. I get that they should hang out and shit, but I just thought that...” then he sighed loudly again, “Dan gets to go back home with Gavin. I just wanted to spend as much time as I can with Gav before Monday, and now... well this just takes some of that time away. I don't want to sound pissed that Dan wanted to be a couple and do couple stuff, but why did it have to be tonight? We had plans.”

“Yeah, and apparently so did Dan,” Geoff said, yet he hadn't said it to upset Michael, but when he saw the defeated look on Michael's face, he apologized. “If Dan would have told me, I would have told you.”

Michael licked his lips and looked down at his feet, not really wanting to make eye contact. “I don't blame you. I don't blame Dan, either. I shouldn't even be mad. I know Dan didn't know about my plans with Gavin, either, but fuck... of all the nights,” the last words were hardly audible.

Geoff nodded. He could only imagine the way Michael must have been feeling, and he hated that, because he wasn't sure if there was really anything he could say to cheer Michael up. This entire thing with Gavin and Dan was the most unnecessary situation that Michael had to be put in, but now that he was in it, Geoff could see how much it was affecting him, especially since it did look as though Michael wasn't trying to find a way out – more like he was trying to find a better way in, to be close to Gavin.

“Come on,” Geoff said as he patted Michael's arm, “You can come outside and help Grif and I with the grill.”

That didn't sound too ideal for Michael, but he still smiled and followed Geoff out. Grilling was something Geoff had been trying to get Michael more into, or more fond of doing, ever since Michael officially moved in. Michael didn't mind it. He just preferred cooking up stuff in the actual kitchen. Geoff was great with barbeques, though, and Michael did like watching how easy Geoff made it look. Michael couldn't really trust himself with grilling. He always felt like he would end up ruining the meat to where it would be completely burnt on the outside, but barely cooked on the inside. Or where it would be burnt on the outside and just brutally dry on the inside. Geoff told him there was no way that could happen if Michael was careful, but Michael wasn't sure about that.

“Just like the good ole times, wouldn't you say?” Griffon asked Michael as Michael held up a plate for Geoff to place the steaks on.

Michael smiled at her. This probably wasn't how he thought his night would play out – because he had expected to be splashing Gavin with chlorine filled water every time Gavin wasn't paying him any attention – but it wasn't a bad night overall. He was spending time with some of his favorite people, so Michael really couldn't complain in the end.

After each of them had their plates filled and were sitting at the table, Michael didn't feel disappointed anymore. Things happened, and plans didn't always go as planned (unfortunately), but sitting around and feeling angry about it wasn't going to fix it. He had to make the best of it and that's what he was doing as he sat at the table with Geoff and Griffon.

“Oh, Michael,” Geoff said as he held up his fork, “I was reading through some of the comments on your last Rage Quit video-”

“Why would you put yourself through that?” Michael asked him, considering how unnecessary most of those comments were and how ridiculous people could be; especially when assuming Michael's rage was all an act. Michael wasn't sure if he could actually fake all that anger. Almost all of the games he played pissed him off one way or another.

Geoff laughed a little and shook his head. “No, don't worry,” he said, “I mostly skimmed until I found the good ones.” He placed a piece of the steak into his mouth and chewed as he stared at Michael, and Michael raised an eyebrow.

“And?” Michael asked.

Geoff smiled. “ _And_ I found some really good game recommendations,” he got up from his seat and headed out of the kitchen.

Michael blinked and looked at Griffon, but Griffon only laughed and continued eating. Geoff returned with a paper in his hands. He sat back down before handing it over to Michael. Michael took a deep breath before taking it.

“The numbers next to the game titles means how many times that game was mentioned,” Geoff explained.

Michael looked over the list and sighed. “Why did you do this?” He asked.

“You asked me the other day to help you come up with good games to play for Rage Quit,” Geoff said, “and yeah I had some pretty good ones in mind, but I thought I'd let some fans put in their input.”

Michael looked at the list again, carefully reading each title, and he found that he did recognize many of them. The corners of his lips slightly twitched up. Well, this did save him the trouble of trying to find games on his own, and he knew the fans loved when he played games they wanted to see him rage at. So he nodded and thanked Geoff for the list before gently folding it and placing it in his pocket for later.

As Griffon began to tell them about a new project she was working on, Michael couldn't help but smile as he listened to her. There was something about how passionate she sounded when discussing her interests that made conversations with her anything but dull. It also helped with distracting Michael from letting his thoughts wander over to Gavin and Dan. For that, he was more than grateful; just as he was grateful overall for having people like Geoff and Griffon in his life, people who accept him for who he was, people who truly cared for him. And sometimes when things didn't go as planned, they turned out better.

 

* * *

 

Michael cleaned up after dinner after practically shooing Geoff out of the kitchen when Geoff tried doing it instead. And Geoff finally gave up on trying to clean and let Michael take over, saying as he walked out of the kitchen, “I hate washing dishes anyway.”

“Then thank me!” Michael said back with a smile, and he even laughed a little when he heard Geoff's voice in the distance say, “Thank you.”

Once the kitchen was cleared, Michael ran upstairs to get ready for bed.

Sleep.

Now that sounded like something he could really go for. To sleep off the hint of pain he still felt deep inside, and to put behind everything that had happened that day. He hugged Griffon and wished her a good night before heading towards the bathroom.

“Sweet dreams, Michael,” she said to him as she entered her bedroom.

Michael could hear Geoff's footsteps a bit later when he was brushing his teeth, along with a mumbled “good night, Michael”.

Geoff sounded as tired as Michael was that Michael found himself yawning plenty of times as he dragged himself to his room. He thought about checking if Ray was online and maybe playing a few games with him, but feeling how sore his eyes were from wanting rest, Michael quickly decided against that. He and Ray both needed their sleep anyway.

He took off his glasses and changed out of his clothes and into his pajamas before letting himself fall onto his bed; his eyes fluttering shut as he got comfortable. The entire house was silent, except for the air conditioner turning on, and Michael sighed quietly through his nose, feeling himself drifting off slowly. And he was just about gone when he heard what sounded to be stomps going up the stairs (or struggling to).

Those stomps were followed by giggles; giggles that sounded creepy and annoying at the same time. Michael groaned and immediately sat up. He checked his phone and saw he had been lying in bed for a good fifteen minutes. The giggles became louder and Michael glared at his bedroom door.

“I swear if this is a fucking intruder...” Michael grumbled as he forced himself out of bed and out of his room.

He curled his fingers into tight fists as he made his way towards the top of the staircase, but he halted in his tracks when he saw Dan helping Gavin up the stairs. That would explain the sounds of struggle.

Michael furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head as he examined the scene in front of him. Gavin's eyes looked glazed and his face was red, and his hair... well, his hair looked even crazier than usual.

Dan looked up and gasped softly when he noticed Michael standing there. He smiled apologetically, though, and said, “He may have had too much to drink,” he nodded towards Gavin who was holding onto him.

Michael wanted to comment on how stupid it was for Gavin to get drunk, but he just huffed and took a few steps down to help Dan with Gavin. Gavin finally looked up and smiled crookedly at Michael.

“Hi, Michael,” he slurred as his hands went to grab Michael.

Michael turned away so he wouldn't have to face Gavin, but he did put one of Gavin's arms around his neck, and Dan did the same.

“Come on, Gav,” Michael said as he began walking back up the stairs, “You need sleep, and so do I.” His eyes were still begging him for it.

“How the fuck did he get alcohol?” Michael asked Dan as they finally got Gavin at the top of the staircase. “The legal age here is twenty one,” he added.

“Would you believe me if I told you he actually convinced someone to get it for him?” Dan asked.

Michael rolled his eyes. Yes, he did believe that. With less struggle now, Michael helped Dan get Gavin into the guest room and onto the bed, but Gavin refused to stay still. He kept launching himself at Michael, laughing while doing so. Michael kept laying Gavin back down on the bed, but it was pretty much useless, since it seemed Gavin had no intentions of letting Michael leave that easily.

“But Michael,” Gavin tried, “Sleep here with me! Michael, you're so soft.” He wrapped his arms around Michael again and even though Michael wanted nothing but to hold him back, Dan was there, and Michael knew they just couldn't. But if they were alone, Michael would have given in and lied there with Gavin until Gavin fell asleep.

“I'm sorry he's acting like this,” Dan said, “He's usually a little better when he's drunk.” He paused before he said more, “Well... not _always,_ but...”

Michael smiled lopsidedly and Dan helped get Gavin off him again.

“Michael!” Gavin called, but Dan tried hushing him and getting him comfortable in the bed. And Gavin only stared at Dan with furrowed eyebrows, not understanding why Michael couldn't just stay there with them. The blond looked back and forth from Dan and Michael for a moment until he sighed loudly and lied back.

Michael hadn't been able to exactly hear what Dan had been telling Gavin, since it all sounded like pure mumbled whispers, but whatever it was, it finally got Gavin to relax. Dan smiled at Gavin and began to gently run his fingers through the messy hair, as if trying to somehow comb it down.

Michael took that as cue to leave. He took a few steps back and turned to the door. As he opened the door more to allow himself room to walk out, he heard Dan say, “Thanks for the help, Michael.”

Michael licked his lips and looked at him. The expression on Gavin's face was of confusion and anger as he watched Dan play with his hair. Dan didn't bother making any eye contact with Michael, though, so Michael said nothing back. He merely walked out of the room and slowly closed the door behind him.

Michael had never seen Gavin drunk before. It was a rather odd thing to have to encounter, and he did wish he could have stayed there, since it seemed like Gavin wasn't pleased that it was Dan that was soothing him to sleep instead. That probably didn't mean anything, though. It was hard to tell what was going on in Gavin's mind when Gavin was barely stable.

And Michael shook his head, shook the thought of Gavin holding onto him away, as he made his way back to his own room.

 


	6. Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to mention how there is some kind of mention of wanting to vomit in the first part of this chapter. Well, because if you read the previous chapter, you’ll know why there’s a hangover involved in this one haha. There is no actual details, but there’s mention. I just wanted to let you all know that.

Gavin gasped as he woke the next morning to a sudden nauseous feeling. His head was also throbbing, almost making everything impossible to do. Getting up and out of bed proved to be a real challenge as Gavin practically held onto to the wall on his way to the bathroom. The hallway seemed to move as he walked and Gavin had to squeeze his eyes shut a few times to prevent himself from getting sick all over the floor.

“Gavin?” He heard Michael's voice, and when Gavin opened his eyes again, he saw Michael had just walked out of the bathroom.

“Hangover?” Michael asked, though it was pretty obvious.

Gavin swallowed hard and nodded. “Why did anyone let me get drunk last night?” He asked.

“Well, you should ask Dan why he didn't stop you,” Michael said, “then again, I'm sure he did try, but you just wanted to have your fun.” He smiled, but that smile was short lived as he realized he actually defended Dan. But Dan was a good guy, and Michael had no doubts that Dan really did try stopping Gavin from drinking too much. Gavin probably kept insisting though.

Gavin cringed as he looked up at the bathroom lights once he finally walked inside.

“You got it bad,” Michael commented. He was ready to head back to his room, but the way Gavin struggled to kneel down by the toilet, Michael found himself staying there to make sure the blond was okay.

“I don't even know if I really need to-” Gavin stopped talking as he felt himself gag.

Michael wrinkled up his nose.

“I don't remember eating anything last night,” Gavin then said, and Michael took note of how stuffy Gavin's voice sounded.

“You're saying you filled yourself up on alcohol?” Michael asked.

“I don't-” another gag. “I don't know.”

Michael crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway. “Gav...” he said softly, and Gavin looked up at him with wide eyes. “Why did you even drink at all?”

Gavin slowly looked away as he felt himself gag again. He thought about Michael's question for a moment before shrugging.

“I haven't had a good drink in months,” he finally answered.

“So you decided to have like ten?”

Gavin breathed out a laugh and cringed again. “I suppose so,” he said.

“You're a mess,” Michael said as he shook his head. “I'll go make you this shit that Geoff makes for himself when he has hangovers.”

Gavin nodded and Michael hurried on down the stairs and into the kitchen. He knew exactly how to make Geoff's little remedy for the many times he had watched Geoff make it. He made sure to memorize it just in case there was a night he got a little too drunk and woke up feeling just as bad as Gavin was and Geoff wasn't around to make it for him. It was better to be safe than sorry.

After much heaving and sweating, Gavin finally managed to get himself up from the floor and out of the bathroom. He was starting to head downstairs when Michael was already on his way back, remedy in hand and a smile on his face.

“This will make you feel better,” Michael said as he handed the glass to Gavin.

Gavin hesitantly took it and sniffed the liquid. He made another gagging noise before asking what was in that drink.

Michael laughed and placed his hands on his hips. “Just drink it,” he said, “and tell me if it tastes good.”

Gavin stared at Michael with eyebrows squeezed together and jaw slightly dropped; a look of actual fear and confusion that Michael laughed again.

“I... don't wanna,” Gavin whispered.

“Do you wanna feel like shit at work?” Michael asked him.

Gavin sighed. “No...”

“Then drink!” Michael helped by holding onto the glass with Gavin and slowly lifting it up towards Gavin's lips.

“If I get sick all over you-”

“Yeah, yeah,” Michael interrupted the Brit by practically forcing the drink into his mouth.

Gavin shut his eyes as he swallowed and Michael watched in amusement before he realized he was still holding the glass and Gavin's hands. Michael frowned and slowly put his hands down; his fingers slightly brushing the back of Gavin's knuckles. Gavin noticed it, but he tried ignoring the tingles Michael's touch had left behind as he concentrated on trying to not exactly _taste_ the drink, but just finishing it in one large chug. Michael wasn't even watching anymore when Gavin managed to empty the glass.

“Whoa,” Gavin breathed out. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and swallowed roughly. “That was terrible.”

Michael faced him again and nodded. “Yeah... Geoff doesn't like it, either, but it helps.”

Gavin took a deep breath. “I think it does,” he said, turning his body towards the direction of the guest room,“but I think I should lie down and see the rest of the results.”

“Yeah, that's fine,” Michael told him, “We don't have to be up and ready for another two hours anyway.”

“Why are you awake already then?” Gavin asked as he looked at Michael.

Michael shifted his gaze to the floor as he said, “I've just always been used to waking up early.”

Gavin raised his eyebrows and mouthed “Oh.” but he didn't say anything out loud. He and Michael merely exchanged small smiles and Gavin walked off as he gently rubbed his head, trying to relax its pounding.

He gave himself a mental note to never get that drunk again when he had work the next day...

 

* * *

 

“Are you done yet?” Miles asked as he sat down in the empty chair next to Michael. He was leaning closer to Michael as each second passed and Michael was getting ready to push him away.

They were in the Achievement Hunter office and it was about time for everyone to take their lunch break. Miles had suggested they all went out for lunch together again since the days were passing by and there was such little time with Gavin left. The friends agreed to it, but now Michael wished he hadn't, because all he wanted was to finish up what he was editing before he left. It wasn't the easiest thing to do with an impatient Miles sitting inches away.

“No,” Michael answered sternly, not taking his eyes off his screen.

“ _Okay..._ ” Miles sighed loudly and sat back, pretending to be occupied with his nails. That only lasted a few minutes before Miles' face was inches from Michael's again and he was asking, “What about now?”

“Okay, Miles,” Michael threw off his headphones and looked at Miles, “If you're really fucking starving, you guys can go without me. It's fine. I'm not done yet and I don't want to stop now when I can easily finish this before the hour is over.”

“Stop putting so much pressure on yourself,” Ray said as he got up from his desk. He patted Michael's shoulder as he headed out of the room, “Just take a break. If it's so easy to finish, then you'll have no problem finishing off where you stop when you come back.” He crossed his arms as he stood by the door, and Miles joined him.

“Yeah,” Miles said with a nod.

Michael rolled his eyes. “I just rather get this done now,” he told them.

Miles and Ray groaned and shouted together, “Michael!”

“For fuck's sake,” Geoff said, looking over at them over his shoulder, “Michael, go have lunch before I kick you out of here myself.”

“Oh, Geoff-”

“Go.”

Michael huffed. “Fine!” He said as he jumped up from his seat and pushed through Miles and Ray to get out of the office. Ray raised an eyebrow, but smirked before following Michael out.

Miles stayed behind for a little to smile at Geoff and say, “Thanks, Geoff!”

“Yeah, just get out,” Geoff said, and Miles nodded and walked out.

None of the friends knew exactly where they wanted to go to eat, but they ended up on deciding that Miles would drive them around until they found a good place.

“Why do I have to drive?” Miles asked. “I know I'm the only one who has a car that can fit all of us, but...” he sighed.

“Well, one of us could drive,” Barbara said as she sat down on one of the seats, “but you don't always look like you like anyone but you driving your car.”

Miles nodded. “Fair enough,” he said as he turned on the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

Michael sat next to the window with Gavin right next to him.

“This short I'm going to be in,” Chris said as he looked over the script he had received, “I'm really excited about it, but man... I feel sorry for myself in it.”

Michael smiled slightly as he said, “Nah, it'll be great.”

Chris looked over at him with raised eyebrows. “Yeah, because you'll be one of the reasons I'll feel sorry for myself.”

“Well just be glad that isn't actually happening. I'd fucking murder someone if I had to be stuck in a such a small space with you.”

Chris laughed and Gavin peeked over Chris' shoulder to read the script.

“Max capacity?” Gavin asked.

“It's pretty self explanatory,” Michael told him.

Gavin grinned. “I'll be looking forward to watching that be filmed.”

“Yeah, that's not gonna happen,” Michael said.

The blond frowned and looked at Michael. “And why not?”

Michael scoffed and sat up a bit more as he explained, “Because I won't be able to concentrate with you there-” He stopped talking and his eyes widened as he realized what he had just said.

Everyone in the car had heard it, but none of them said anything. Chris continued to read the script like everything was normal and Michael hadn't said anything, but inside, he was screaming for Michael. Barbara bit down on her lower lip and simply stared out the window. Miles debated turning on the radio to break the awkward silence that now devoured them. Lindsay glanced at Michael over her shoulder, but she immediately looked away before he could see her. Ray just slumped in his seat and crossed his arms, suddenly wanting to be anywhere but there.

And Gavin... Gavin stared at Michael; lips slightly parted and speechless.

Michael couldn't stand it. He hadn't meant to say that. It was one of those moments where he really just did _not_ think before he spoke. It felt as if it was such a casual thing for him to say that to Gavin, and if this were a year earlier, it would have been. But this wasn't a year earlier and that wasn't a casual thing to say.

He cleared his throat and laughed, though it came out sounding nervous. “What?” He asked Gavin, trying to seem confused. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Why would you not be able to concentrate?” Gavin asked instead of answering. His eyes were still wide; wide with curiosity and... hope? It looked like hope.

Michael licked his lips and looked forward. “Because you would purposely try to make me mess up by acting stupid,” he lied.

Everyone basically sighed in relief, except for Gavin, and Miles quickly pulled into the next fast food joint he saw. Lindsay began talking to Ray about something to lighten the mood again, and it was working, because then Barbara jumped into that conversation as they all started getting out of the car after Miles parked. Michael tried pitching in some words as well, so he wouldn't seem off in any way. Miles asked Chris things about the script, and Gavin just trailed behind. He stared at Michael from behind, wondering if there was _anything_ he could say. Maybe he read too much into what Michael said. Why was he reading into anything Michael said, anyway? He wasn’t supposed to care if the signs were still there... He wasn't supposed to dwell on any of it. He was taken. He was with Dan. So why was it that any time he and Michael had some sort of moment, a sort of interaction that could be seen as intimidate, Gavin couldn't stop himself from thinking back to it until the end of the day? It was like he _wanted_ those moments, those touches, to mean something, but then he didn't. And that's why he kept thinking about it. He would mentally argue with himself about how it shouldn't matter if it meant something, but how it did matter, and how he did like it, and he hated everything about that.

“Gav?”

Gavin blinked hard and looked over to see Ray still holding the door open for him.

“Any day now,” Ray said, “I mean, it's not like I don't mind standing here until you decide to walk in.”

Gavin forced himself to smile and laugh. “Thanks, Ray,” he said, in his usual cheerful voice, “Very gentlemen of you to wait around for me.”

“Don't get used to it,” Ray sternly said, though he smiled anyway as they both walked in together.

“Miles, what kind of place is this?” Michael asked as he looked around at the silly decorations.

“I was hungry and this was the closest place that looked appealing,” Miles told him, “Besides, none of you were helping me choose.”

“Fair enough,” Lindsay said as she stood next to him as they all examined the menu.

“At least the food sounds good,” Barbara said, and they all nodded in agreement.

 

* * *

 

After work was done for the day, Geoff drove Michael and Gavin to the pool.

“Call me if you two need a ride home,” Geoff said to them.

Michael gave him a thumbs up and Gavin waved goodbye to him. They waited until Geoff drove off and was out of sight before heading in. Being there, Michael couldn't stop the warm feeling inside from growing. Plans were finally going as they should without anything stopping them and he was getting his time with Gavin. He almost felt selfish for wanting Gavin to his own, but it wasn't like he was trying to pull Gavin completely away from Dan. He wouldn't dare try to ruin a relationship, but he would dare to be a _bit_ selfish.

“I can't remember the last time I went swimming,” Gavin said as they placed their towels on two of the lawn chairs nearby.

Michael smiled at him and sighed. “Well, here's your chance, Gav. Go crazy.”

Gavin walked up to the edge of the pool and Michael merely watched him at first before he stepped up and stood there next to him. The Brit rubbed his chin as he stared at the water and Michael raised an eyebrow, not understanding what Gavin was contemplating so long on.

“Are you gonna fucking jump in or-” And that was all Michael was able to get out before arms were wrapped around him and he was dragged into the pool as Gavin jumped in, holding him tightly.

Michael shut his eyes and in the span of a few seconds, he felt the water against his face, and then his entire body was under water. He opened his eyes only slightly to see Gavin swimming up to the surface. Michael furrowed his eyebrows and swam up as well. He gasped for air and shook his hair out of his face. Gavin laughed and shielded himself as the water from Michael's hair hit him. Michael rubbed his face and glared at the blond in front of him.

Gavin continued to laugh.

“That wasn't funny,” Michael snapped at him.

“Yes, it was,” Gavin laughed.

“How?”

Gavin took a deep breath to calm himself down and he answered with, “You weren't expecting it, were you? No. I caught you off guard and the results were incredible.”

Michael turned away to hide his smile, because although that was a bit nerve wrecking (considering Gavin could have slipped while jumping in and that would have been a whole different disaster), it was also a little thrill of fun.

“Are you smiling?” Gavin asked, trying to get closer to make sure, but Michael kept turning away.

“Fuck off,” Michael mumbled, but when Gavin wouldn't, Michael bit down on his lip and splashed him.

Gavin made a sort of squealing noise as shielded himself again, and Michael laughed loudly.

“That's what you get for having your god damn nose in my business,” Michael joked.

Gavin sighed and smiled at him. “You think you're funny?”

Michael was still grinning as he nodded.

“Well, I can't disagree with that,” Gavin said with a shrug, and he tried to pretend as if he was going to swim away to splash Michael by surprise, but as he was about to do his attempt, Michael splashed him again.

“Aw, bollocks!” Gavin shouted out, startled by the splash, and Michael laughed even louder this time. Gavin wanted to be mad, or at least act tough and try to get Michael back, but the way Michael was laughing, how his dimples were now revealed more than ever, Gavin didn't even know how to handle this.

“Good one, Jones,” he simply said with a smirk.

Michael tried catching his breath from laughing so hard. He headed to the side of the pool and got out of the water, but he sat on the edge to allow his feet to stay in the water. Gavin swam to him, but he didn't get out. They stayed in that position as they watched the kids in the pool play 'marco polo' and how it was all basically giggles instead of actual playing. Michael smiled and shook his head as one kid was caught.

“We should get the other idiots to come join us,” Michael said after imaging all of them there together. It was nice having alone time with Gavin, but having their friends join them would just remind Michael of all the good times they used to have, and that's what he wanted.

Gavin nodded and Michael stood up to go grab his phone. He sent a text to their friends, telling them that if they could, they should head over to the pool to join him and Gavin. Michael jumped back into the pool for a while as they waited. Miles was the first to show up with his girlfriend, Arryn. Then Ray appeared with Lindsay, and not too long after came Barbara and Chris.

“Thanks for the invitation,” Miles said as he sat down in one of the chairs.

Michael and Gavin got out of the pool and joined them by the chairs instead.

Michael put up is hands and smiled, “Yeah, well, we decided to be nice.”

“Wow, how kind of you,” Ray said as he crossed his arms.

Gavin laughed and nodded. “Yeah, but don't get used to it, Ray.”

Ray snickered. “Shut up.”

They all sat around and talked about a few things they would have to be doing later on for Rooster Teeth, Michael hinted at Lindsay becoming part of Achievement Hunter, but when she questioned him on what he was trying to say, he only smiled at her and said, “You'll know soon enough.”

Lindsay squinted her eyes at him, but she returned the smile and decided not to let curiosity bother her. Gavin was too quiet as he listened more rather than talked, so Michael went ahead and paid more attention to him.

“Hey,” he said, scooting himself closer to the blond.

Gavin nodded at him.

“Having fun?” Michael asked.

“Yeah!” Gavin's eyes lit up as he answered, “I think this is the most fun I've had since I got here.”

“Yeah?”

Gavin smiled softly. “Yeah,” he said.

Michael licked his lips as he looked down, a sudden urge to ask about something was starting to creep up. “Does Dan make you happy?” Michael didn't know why he was even bringing up Dan, why he would even _want_ to know the answer to that question. He didn't want to know anything about their relationship; it was their business, not his, but he wanted to be close to Gavin, and he figured this was one way to do it.

Gavin looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “I... well, of course he does.”

“Really?” Michael sat up. “You don't sound so convincing.”

Gavin blinked. Of all things he would expect from Michael, being asked about Dan wasn't one of them. Especially at this moment, when Dan wasn't around and it was just the old gang together.

“Can we talk about something else?” Gavin asked.

Michael sighed, but nodded, because yes, anything else sounded better, and he felt stupid for even trying to talk about Dan.

“Hey!” Chris called as he jumped up.

Everyone looked up at him.

“Let's get in the pool, guys,” he said, “What's the point of being here if we're just gonna sit around?”

Barbara nodded. “I agree with that,” she said.

“Well, when I agreed to come,” Miles started, “I actually didn't intend on swimming...”

“Oh, I keep forgetting you don't know how to swim,” Michael said.

“You'll be fine, Miles,” Arryn said as she stood up, “Come on, we can just stand around in the shallow part.”

Miles rolled his eyes. “It's okay, guys, none of you have to hang out with me in the weak spot. I'll be fine there alone.”

“It sounds like you're trying to guilt trip us into joining you,” Lindsay said, and she sighed as she looked at the others. “Come on, guys. Let's go with Miles to the kiddie side.”

Everyone nodded as they began to drag Miles towards that section.

“No,” Miles tried protesting, “No, I- guys, stop.”

Gavin stayed behind and watched how Miles kept struggling out of everyone's grip. He laughed a little at the sight and then sighed. The thought of Michael asking him about Dan was actually bothering him. He didn't mind talking about Dan or their relationship at all, but... for some reason, he just wasn't feeling up for discussing any of that. He didn't want to, but Michael had understood and didn't try asking anything more, yet Gavin felt bothered about it. Perhaps it was because he was feeling a bit guilty that with all the fun he was having there, he didn't once think about Dan...

He wanted to call him or text him, see what he was up to, but he held back that urge and looked at his friends again.

He wasn't being a bad boyfriend, was he? No. Of course not. Then why was he feeling guilty? And guilty of what, anyway? He liked Dan... a lot, and sometimes, he would still feel nervous around him like how anyone would be around their crush.

But the guilt still lingered.

 

* * *

 

A knock at his door had Gavin groaning. He had no energy to roll over and try to look presentable for whoever the hell that was.

“It's Dan, if you were wondering,” Dan said from the other side of the door. He had clearly heard Gavin's annoyed sound.

Gavin's eyes widened at that. Oh, it was Dan. He could deal with that.

“Uh, come in,” Gavin said as he sat up and rubbed his face.

It had only been a week since the last time Dan had visited him, but it had only been an hour since Dan had texted him, just like he had been texting Gavin nonstop in the past week. And Gavin did like it; the comfort it would bring him. It gave him something to look forward to – to wake up and find a new message from his best friend, and to fall asleep reading one of them.

It wasn't exactly helping with lifting his mood, but he found himself smiling more than usual since he returned.

Dan stepped into the bedroom and frowned at the sight of Gavin looking more thin than before.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

Gavin nodded, but he said nothing, because he really still wasn't completely okay.

Mrs. Free had mentioned to Dan how little Gavin had been eating, and how he still locked himself up in his bedroom most of the day. And Dan wished he could fix the situation, take every ounce of pain Gavin was feeling away, but he wasn't a miracle worker. He was just Dan.

“Come on, B, you can't do this to yourself,” Dan said as he sat down on the edge of Gavin's bed. “I know you've had a rough few months, but-” Gavin completely blocked out everything else Dan had said, because there it was; everything Gavin didn't want to hear. Dan had been great with not bringing up anything of the sort during their many text conversations, but now that they were face-to-face, it was like Dan couldn't resist.

“Dan, if you don't mind,” Gavin spoke, “I want to be alone.” Because suddenly having Dan there didn't feel so great.

“You've been alone,” Dan grabbed Gavin's hand and squeezed it gently. “I'm not gonna let you be alone anymore.”

Gavin furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at their hands.

“I can see it's absolutely ruining you,” Dan continued, “Gavin, I've known you almost my whole life, I've always seen such a bright light in you, and I don't see that anymore.”

Gavin shrugged.

“No, don't give me that,” Dan said as he squeezed Gavin's hand tighter, “Don't give up.”

“It's so easy, though, Dan-”

“No.”

Gavin scoffed and tried pulling his hand free, but Dan held on, only adding to Gavin's annoyance.

“You know what?” Dan asked, and Gavin looked at him, “You can give up. You can. That doesn't mean I'm going to give up on you.”

“I can't believe you're still trying,” Gavin told him. “I appreciate you caring, and I get why-”

“Do you?”

Gavin opened his mouth to answer, but with the way Dan was staring at him, with such an eagerness in his eyes, Gavin wasn't sure what to say.

“It's what friends _do_?” He asked, though he sounded unsure of his own question.

Dan sighed quietly and nodded, his grip on Gavin's hand softening. “Yeah, of course, but even if you told me to walk out the door right now and never look back, I would stay. You know why?”

Gavin didn't answer.

“Because you mean more to me than any friend, Gav,” Dan whispered.

The blond felt a lump form in his throat at those words and how sincere they had sounded. He took note of how his heart began to pick up its pace as Dan leaned in closer.

“And I can't give up on you,” Dan told him, “So don't give up on yourself.”

Gavin swallowed hard to get rid of that lump, but it didn't do much. He squeezed Dan's hand back and asked, “You won't leave?”

Dan shook his head, and Gavin felt the corners of his lips rise for what felt like the first time in a long time.

* * *

 

Gavin sighed, shaking the thought away, and he got up from his chair and finally jumped into the pool. Michael looked over at him and noticed how increasingly down Gavin now seemed to be, so he swam over to ask him about it.

“Hey,” Michael said softly as he smiled at Gavin. “Everything okay?”

Gavin nodded, though before he could swim off, Michael grabbed his arm and held him back. He tried reading Gavin's face, to find the source of what was _really_ wrong. He had a feeling of what it could be, though. He had brought up Dan and suddenly Gavin began to act strange. Why? Michael didn't know. He hadn't meant to offend Gavin in any way, but it seems that he had. And because he knew if he apologized for it, it would do nothing but probably bother Gavin further, so he merely wrapped his arms around Gavin instead. Gavin stiffened and tried to ignore how good it felt, how damn good it always felt to hug Michael. It was ridiculous.

Gavin sighed and returned the hug, immediately burying his face in the crook of Michael's neck. Michael smiled and was ready to tighten the hug when Gavin abruptly pulled away.

“Come on,” Gavin said as he began to swim towards the other side of the pool, “Let's go with the others.”

Michael tilted his head, his eyebrows twitching together. There was certainly something going on with Gavin, but Michael decided he wouldn't question it and would just let them both enjoy their time at the pool with their friends. There was no need to ruin the mood even more.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys can always follow me on tumblr (heytheregisela on there too) if you ever have any questions or for any updates/news on the fic. :)


	7. Seven

While the boys were out at the pool having their fun, Geoff went ahead and started to prepare dinner after a while of laying around and watching TV with Dan. He told Dan to continue watching, that he could handle dinner on his own, but after convincing Dan that he didn't help, Griffon walked into the kitchen. She didn't even bother to offer help; she merely began to cook the rice as Geoff checked the chicken he had left to cook in the oven. Geoff didn't question the help, because one of the many things he loved about Griffon was cooking with her.

“Tomorrow's Friday, right?” Geoff asked her.

Griffon nodded and smiled at him. “Yeah. Why?”

“Tomorrow is the last day we'll need Gavin at work,” Geoff told her.

Griffon frowned a bit, and she stopped doing what she was doing to look at Geoff. “He's not leaving until Monday morning, though, right?” Because it had felt as though Gavin had barely arrived, and now he was leaving again? Already?

“Right,” Geoff answered with a nod, “And he can spend the next days doing whatever he wants here. It doesn't really matter.”

The corners of Griffon's lips rose slightly, “Oh, I'm going to miss him when he leaves again.” She sighed and went back to measuring the right amount of rice.

“Yeah, it's been great having him here,” Geoff said.

“Michael seems happier with him here, too,” Griffon told him, making sure to keep her voice down because Dan wasn't fair from earshot, “You know, considering...”

Geoff glanced into the living room to find that Dan was very much distracted in the movie he was watching. He sighed and said, “I've noticed.” He glanced over at Dan again, and watched how Dan got up and quickly headed up the stairs. He smiled softly and said, “I like Dan. He seems great, especially for Gavin,” then his smile faded, “And so does Michael.”

The sound of the door opening followed by loud laughter indicated that Michael and Gavin were officially home. Geoff and Griffon smiled at each other.

“Hey, you two,” Geoff greeted them, turning around to see them as they entered the kitchen. “Hungry?”

Gavin nodded furiously. “Yeah, I'm starving,” his eyes landed over to the pot Griffon was working with.

Michael patted his stomach and nodded as well. “Fuck yeah,” he said, “Hours of swimming wear you out. I need my energy.” He began to walk closer to where Griffon was, but Geoff held him back.

“You'll have to wait a while,” Geoff told him, “I'd say an hour.”

“Ugh,” Michael and Gavin both groaned.

After Gavin had gotten uncomfortably quiet at the pool, Michael had eventually gotten him to lighten up by making him laugh and distracting him from any thoughts he was probably having. It worked perfectly, because Gavin was back to his bright mood within seconds, and it didn't feel or looked forced either.

“The wait will be worth it,” Griffon assured them.

Geoff went to the refrigerator to grab a few things, but as he searched for them, he muttered curse words under his breath. Griffon looked over at him with a raised eyebrow.

“What?” She asked.

Geoff sighed and closed the refrigerator's door. He smiled innocently as he said, “I _may_ have forgotten to pick up a few things before I came home.”

Michael raised his eyebrows and threw his hands up. “I'll go get whatever you need,” he said.

They all turned to look at him, astonished expressions upon their faces that Michael didn't understand why.

“Are you sure?” Geoff asked him.

Michael blinked, looking back at all of them, and then he nodded slowly. “Yeah, why not?”

Geoff shrugged. “I just figured you would want to take a shower after being in that pool for so long,” he explained.

“Nah,” Michael shook his head, “I'm fine.”

Gavin smiled at him, “Then I'll go with you,” he said.

“So you're both going to go sticking like chlorine?” Geoff asked, but it was more just to poke fun at them.

Michael quickly sniffed himself and pursed his lips. “I'll change first,” he said, and both he and Gavin headed up the stairs to do just that.

Dan returned to the living room and smiled at Griffon and Geoff in the kitchen.

“Michael and Gavin just got home,” Geoff let him know, and Dan halted in his tracks.

“Oh, so that's all the noise I heard, then,” Dan said, a grin forming on his face. “Did they go upstairs to clean up?”

“Sort of,” Geoff answered, “They're actually going to leave again to get a few things I forgot to get from the store...” he sighed.

Dan muted the television before walking into the kitchen to be better faced with Geoff and Griffon. “They're going together?” He asked, looking back and forth from the two.

“Well, Michael offered to go,” Geoff started to explain, “And Gavin just said he would go too.” He turned around to hand a spoon to Griffon when he noticed Dan still staring at him. Geoff raised an eyebrow and returned the look.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

Dan raised his eyebrows and nodded. “Oh, yeah... yeah, definitely,” he smiled slowly.

“I'll race you down,” Gavin said to Michael, and Dan looked over at the staircase to find the two at the top.

Michael squinted his eyes at Gavin and shook his head. “We aren't fucking five, are we?”

“We can be.”

The two merely stared at each other, both wondering whether to take the challenge or not, but they didn't say anything out loud. And then suddenly, they both started running down the steps. Gavin kept trying to slow Michael down by bumping into him, but it seemed it only slowed himself down and Michael jumped off the last two steps.

“Who's the winner?!” Michael shouted to Gavin as he spun around to face him.

Gavin pouted and crossed his arms as he walked the rest of the way down. “Well, you jumped off the last two bloody steps,” he said, “that knocks off time!”

“So you're mad because I was smart?” Michael asked him.

The blond sighed and noticed Dan standing nearby, watching them. His eyes widened and he smiled at him.

“Hi, Dan,” he greeted.

Michael frowned and looked over his shoulder to see said person. “Oh, Dan,” he said, trying to smile just as much as Gavin was, “Hey, man.” He patted Dan's back on his way to the front door, and Gavin followed.

“Okay, I'm gonna need some carrots and potatoes,” Geoff said to Michael, and Michael nodded. “You can also bring some cheese. Cheese would be good.”

“Got it,” Michael said with a thumbs up.

“Anything else you'll want us to bring?” Gavin asked, specifically to Dan.

Dan shook his head. “I'm fine,” he said.

Gavin grinned and placed a quick kiss on Dan's lips, but Michael made sure to look away before he saw anything.

“We won't be long,” Michael said, opening the door and turning around just in time for Geoff to toss him the car keys.

“Be safe,” Griffon called out to them, and with that, they left.

Dan sighed deeply through his nose as he stared at the door. Geoff could see it; how Dan suddenly felt left out by his own boyfriend. Gavin was basically at Michael's side the entire day, and them going to the store together was only adding to it. Of course that was going to bother Dan a little bit, even if Dan was such a nice guy.

“Hey, Dan,” Geoff spoke, not being able to stand to see that look on anyone's face.

Dan turned his head to look at him.

“Wanna come help us?”

With a nod and a small smile, Dan walked over to them.

 

* * *

 

“Oh, oh, Michael!” Gavin was as giddy as ever as he picked up a bag of grapes and held them up high for Michael to see over the melons.

“You want grapes?” Michael could only assume.

“I like grapes,” Gavin said with a smile.

Michael sighed and nodded. “Yeah, they're good. Put them in the cart.”

Gavin walked around the display of melons and tossed the grapes into the mostly empty shopping cart. They had been there for around fifteen minutes and had only barely gotten the carrots. Michael was now looking for the potatoes, but he was sidetracked by how red and appetizing the apples appeared to be.

“Fucking apples,” Michael mumbled to himself. “I mean, I like them, but then I don't.”

Gavin shrugged. “Get some anyway.”

Michael snorted. “It's that easy, isn't it?” He asked Gavin as he turned to look at him.

“It can be.”

Michael smiled softly and nodded, agreeing to what Gavin said. He started to pick some of the apples out and they were off again.

“And now for the potatoes,” Michael announced, his eyes scanning the area for them.

“By the time we get back home, the food will be all gone,” Gavin joked, and he was even laughing about it, too much to notice how Michael had stopped moving.

Though he finally did after taking a deep breath and looking at Michael. He furrowed his eyebrows and was about to snap his fingers in Michael's face when he decided to just ask, “Michael... what's wrong?”

Michael looked to be staring off into nothing, but with a look of absolute dread in his eyes. He didn't bother facing Gavin as he shook his head and managed to utter out, “My... my mom.”

The Brit's jaw dropped slightly open, and he looked in the direction Michael was staring. And there she was... Mrs. Jones. The last time Gavin had seen her, well, he had hoped it would have stayed the last time. But there she was.

She hadn't noticed them, or if she had, she hadn't made a scene over it.

And Michael knew he had to get away before she did see them; especially together.

“Gavin,” Michael breathed out, finally tearing his eyes away from his mother, “I gotta fucking get out of here. She can't see me... I-I don't want her to see me. I don't even want to see her!”

Gavin nodded. “Okay, okay, Michael. We'll go.”

“No, you have to get the potatoes first,” Michael told him, “I'll meet you by the cash register, alright?”

Gavin nodded again, understanding completely. He quickly ushered Michael out of the way and began to walk over to the potatoes, hoping he looked as casual as can be. He also avoided looking in Mrs. Jones' general direction.

Michael practically ran into the cereal aisle, sighing in relief that he was no longer in his mother's sight. He was safe... he was okay... everything was okay. His relief was short lived as he looked down the aisle and noticed his father picking out some cereal.

“Are you fucking kidding me,” Michael muttered under his breath. “No. Just... no.” He turned to leave, but Mr. Jones saw him before he could and Michael froze as he heard his name be called by him.

Michael stopped walking and hesitated to turn around. He was able to still leave. He could just keep walking and ignore his father. He didn't need to obey him anymore, but there was something holding him back from doing so, and he found himself turning around to look at his father.

Michael made sure he didn't look intimidated at all as he wore a dull look on his face. Mr. Jones slowly walked up to him and Michael had to swallow hard a few times to keep calm.

“It's been so long,” Mr. Jones said once they were face-to-face.

Michael took a deep breath, but he nodded, yet he didn't speak.

“I've heard you've gotten a job,” Mr. Jones went on to say. “I've also heard it's a steady one.”

Michael looked away a little, just not feeling able to look that man in the eyes. He nodded again, though, but still said nothing.

Mr. Jones sighed, seeing this was going nowhere; not at all how he ever expected it to.

“Look, Michael, I feel terrible about everything,” he said.

Michael faced him again, eyebrows slightly furrowed.

“I overreacted,” Mr. Jones admitted. “I know that now. Although I still don't particularly like your preferences,” he paused to laugh, but it sounded anything but joyful. “There's nothing I can do about that, and I do understand that.”

Michael narrowed his eyes at him and said, “If you're expecting me to forgive you-”

“I'm not,” Mr. Jones held up his hand, “I don't deserve your forgiveness.”

Michael raised an eyebrow, because that was the last thing he ever thought he would hear from his father.

“I only want you to know that I know my mistakes,” Mr. Jones told him. He stood there, waiting for Michael to say something to him, but when Michael remained silent again, Mr. Jones nodded and turned around to leave.

Michael closed his eyes, feeling better that the conversation was over, but then apparently it wasn't, since he heard his name be called again. Michael jumped a bit, opening his eyes to look at his father again.

“I also want you to know that my door is always open if you ever want to come by,” Mr. Jones said, and this time, when he did turn away, he did leave.

It was as if someone had punched him in the stomach, or in his chest, because Michael felt himself ache inside. How did a good day turn so brutal? How did he get cursed to have to face one of the two people he never wanted to see again? Michael licked his lips and looked down at his feet, not even knowing where to go; not even caring where he was. His eyes were beginning to burn, but he was able to ignore that feeling as he heard a cart abruptly turn into the aisle and stop near him.

“I just saw your dad, too,” Gavin told him, his voice filled with shock and out of breath. “We should really get out of here.”

Michael bit down on his lower lip and nodded. “Yeah,” he forced himself to look up at Gavin, “Let's... let's go pay.”

Gavin tried smiling at him, but he didn't expect a smile in return. He led the way towards the cash registers with Michael barely trailing behind. And before exiting the aisle, Michael looked back in the direction his father had left in.

His parents were the last people who deserved his forgiveness. After everything they did; practically isolating him from any fun, holding him back from so many things, _scolding_ him for loving Gavin, and kicking him out of the house without a second thought, Michael knew they couldn't be forgiven.

They weren't good people – not like how he used to try to think of them as. They were terrible and strict and hated when things went anywhere but their way. And when they saw Michael wasn't perfect, they didn't want him anymore.

It was fine, too, because Michael was much better now without them.

Yet... seeing his father again, speaking with him again, it just... it hurt far worse than Michael ever thought it could.

 


	8. Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like "Be Alright" by Lucy Rose is just really good for this chapter... just throwing that out there... heh.

“I'm pretty sure it doesn't take this long to get from and to the grocery store,” Geoff said to Griffon and Dan as they waited for Michael and Gavin's return.

“Maybe there's traffic?” Dan offered. “Or maybe you're only feeling impatient because you're hungry.”

“Oh, it's definitely that,” Griffon said as she nodded, “When Geoff's hungry, he's _hungry_.”

Geoff squinted his eyes at his wife, but he smiled anyway. The sound of the front door opening had them all turning to see.

“We're home!” Gavin called cheerfully, and Geoff sighed in relief to see the boys walking in through that door. Gavin grinned at him and held up the bags of groceries.

“You asked and we delivered,” Gavin said as he placed them on the counter.

“Well, I didn't ask,” Geoff corrected him, “But thank _you_ , Michael,” he looked at the curly haired man behind Gavin, “for being nice and _offering_.” And then winked at Gavin.

Gavin rolled his eyes, but continued to smile.

“I'm gonna go take a shower,” Michael mumbled as he hurried out of there and up the stairs.

Geoff looked over his shoulder in the direction Michael had ran off in, and then he looked at Gavin for an answer. Gavin tried not frowning so much to not give away that there was actually something wrong, but he almost couldn't help it.

“I think I'll go get up cleaned as well,” he said instead, and gave Geoff and Griffon a quick wave before leaving.

“Something tells me something happened,” Geoff said to Griffon.

Griffon sighed and nodded. “Maybe we'll find out if they want to tell us later,” she said.

Geoff agreed, and they went back to finishing up dinner. And it was only half an hour later that they were all seated at the dinner table, digging into the meal.

“This is so good,” Dan said, practically drooling onto his plate as he stuffed his mouth.

Gavin smiled at him and shook his head. Michael, however, barely felt hungry anymore. He slowly picked at his plate, keeping his eyes on his food than on anyone around him.

“I'm glad you like it,” Geoff said to Dan, then his eyes shifted over to Michael. “Michael, is something wrong with the food?” He asked.

Michael shook his head. “No, of course not,” he told Geoff, “You're a fucking chef.”

Geoff smiled, clearly loving the compliment, but he was still curious, “Then why aren't you eating?”

Gavin looked at Michael, knowing exactly what was bothering him. Michael licked his lips and forced a smile.

“I don't know,” he said, “I guess I'm just not as hungry as I thought I was.” He put a spoonful of rice into his mouth and raised up a thumb, “It's amazing, though.”

Geoff and Griffon exchanged looks, but Geoff decided to let it be.

“Gavin, I remembered today that tomorrow is your last day,” Geoff told the blond.

Gavin raised his eyebrows and swallowed the food in his mouth before saying, “Oh, yeah.”

Geoff nodded. “Yeah, but I was thinking you can come into the Achievement Hunter office after you're done and we can record another Lets Play with you, if you can. I thought it was fun having you there.”

Gavin grinned crookedly. “What game will we be playing?”

“I'll have to check my list, but does it matter?”

“It might,” Gavin joked, and Dan laughed.

Michael glanced up at them and tried to smile, but he knew it probably just looked like his lips barely twitched up. It was only making Geoff more eager to ask him what was wrong, but he didn't, for Michael's sake.

And Michael was the first to get up and put his plate in the sink. He was followed right after by Dan, and Michael gently took the plate from and told him he would clean it up.

“Do you want any help with cleaning the rest of the table?” Dan asked as he looked over at the table that was completely filled with food.

Michael shook his head. “No, I'm fine,” he answered softly.

Dan nodded and stepped away from him to give him some room. Geoff and Griffon placed their plates into the sink and left to get ready for bed. Gavin remained seated at the table, merely keeping his eyes on Michael, knowing Michael was trying to act as if he was all dandy and fine, but he wasn't doing so well with that. The blond only looked away from Michael when Dan asked him if he was coming upstairs.

“I'll be up in a moment,” he told Dan.

Dan nodded and left, leaving Gavin and Michael alone in the kitchen. It was quiet for a while with only the sounds of the water running every time Michael would turn on the faucet.

Then Michael huffed, because he could just _feel_ staring at him. “Gavin, go away,” he sternly said, feeling rather uncomfortable now.

Gavin finally stood up and took his plate to the sink, but when Michael tried taking it from him, he held it up. Michael squinted his eyes at Gavin.

“What the fuck are you doing?” He asked.

“Helping,” Gavin said with a smile as he took the sponge from Michael's hand.

“I can do this by myself,” Michael said.

“I'm aware.”

Michael wanted to roll his eyes, but he resisted and just went ahead to rinsed the other plates off.

“You don't have to hide it,” Gavin then said as they were finishing off with the dishes, “I know what's bothering you-”

“Gavin, seriously. No.” Michael walked back to the table to start putting away the leftovers, and he groaned when he saw Gavin follow.

“But there is something bothering you,” Gavin said, “At least answer that.”

“No, I'm fine,” Michael muttered as he put away the rice.

“But you aren't.”

“But you need to shut the fuck up,” Michael said as he started to cover the chicken with foil.

“Michael.”

“ _Gavin_.”

Gavin grabbed Michael's wrists to stop him from what he was doing. He just wanted Michael to look at him and to stop avoiding the subject. Michael tried struggling out of Gavin's grip, but he really just didn't feel like fighting. So he looked Gavin in the eyes.

“I told you,” he said, “I'm fine.”

Gavin sighed. “Are you really?”

“Yes.”

The Brit let go of Michael's wrists and simply sat down as he said, “Well, okay then.”

It was how casual and bland Gavin had said those words that made Michael give up on putting the food away for now and sit down as well. 'Well, okay then.' didn't mean 'I believe you and I'm going to leave you alone now.' Michael could tell by the way Gavin seemed so unamused that it apparently meant, 'I'll give you a break, but don't expect me to drop it.' in Gavin language. He didn't want to talk about it, though, how much seeing his parents sucked, and how _talking_ to his father after so long had really made him feel. He just didn't... he wanted to forget about it, but he couldn't.

And Gavin knew Michael didn't want to share what he was thinking, but he wanted Michael to know he wasn't the only one struggling to keep something inside.

Gavin licked his lips and took a deep breath before he spoke, “I already mentioned to you how I never wanted to really talk about exactly how my grandmother's death affected me.”

Michael narrowed his eyes at him as he said, “And you don't have to-”

“No, shh,” Gavin interrupted as he held up his finger, “Just listen.” Michael furrowed his eyebrows, but he did indeed stay silent to do just that.

“I felt absolute _destroyed_ inside, like someone had actually grabbed every ounce of happiness I could ever have and completely threw it out,” Gavin began to explain, and Michael stared at him with a devastated look, but the blond continued, “It was like I had lost one of my best friends, and feeling worthless because there was nothing I could have even done in the first place. I know I couldn't have done anything. They told me she was already gone the moment she was hospitalized, but she kept fighting, she kept trying. The way I dealt with it, I felt like I was being strong and keeping it together. I wasn't. I was the complete opposite by isolating myself from the world and trying to stay hidden.” He looked down at the table a moment before sighing.

“I thought I was doing what was best for me,” he said as he shook his head, “I was only making it worse.” Gavin scooted his chair close to Michael before going on, “People did want to help. They did try getting me to go out and have _fun_ , but nah... I just didn't think it was fair for me to have fun when my grandmother was no longer there to share in that, or at least there for me to tell her about it later.” He smiled a little, and Michael returned it.

“She would never be there for me to ever tell her anything again,” Gavin practically whispered, that smile fading fast, “I didn't want to accept that. She would never come back, and when I finally came to accept that, it was when I was sitting in my room, as always, and I caught my reflection in the mirror across the room. Who I saw when I turned my attention to the mirror wasn't me. And that terrified me. I knew I had to get myself back together.” He looked at Michael again. “So I did. I cleaned myself up and walked right out of that room. The only times I was in there after that was in the morning and at night.”

Michael raised his eyebrows slowly, remaining silent just in case Gavin had a bit more to say. Gavin merely smiled and put up his hands.

“And that's the story,” he told Michael.

Michael nodded, giving Gavin a sympathetic look as he said, “I wish I could have been there for you through all of that.”

Gavin scoffed and shook his head. “You wouldn't have wanted to,” he said, “I was a wreck.”

“I was always a wreck and you still dealt with me,” Michael reminded him, “I'm pretty sure I would have been able to deal with you.” He smirked, and Gavin laughed softly.

“But you had Dan,” Michael then said, “And honestly, I'm glad you did.”

Gavin nodded. “Yeah, I'm glad, too.”

The two of them just sat there – Michael gently tapping his fingers on the table and Gavin looking around the kitchen as if it was his first time in there.

“ _So_... are you really okay?” Gavin asked after a moment, not able to stand the quietness any longer.

Michael smiled and shook his head. “No,” he sighed loudly and went on to say, “But I will be.”

“We both will be,” Gavin assured him, “We'll be alright.”

That was easier said than done, but hearing that come from Gavin, Michael couldn't help but already feel a little better. The blond checked his phone for the time. It was only nearing nine PM.

He looked up at Michael and said, “I know it's getting late and we've been out all day, but...” he hesitated before going on, “Do you want to go for a walk?”

It seemed both crazy and brilliant at the same time, and Michael nodded.

“Yeah,” he said as he stood up, “Yeah, let me just finish putting this food away and then we can leave.”

“Sounds top,” Gavin also got up, “I'll go let Dan know.”

Michael pursed his lips but he nodded again. “Yeah, alright.”

Gavin quickly left the kitchen and went up to the guest room to find a half awake Dan lying on the bed; an arm sprawled across his face to shield the light from the hallway. Gavin grinned as he walked up to the side of the bed and kneeled down next to Dan.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Gavin whispered, and Dan only groaned in response. Gavin laughed quietly and leaned forward to place a kiss on his boyfriend's forehead. With that, he got up and started heading out when Dan stopped him by asking, “Where are you headed off to now?” his voice groggy and weak.

Gavin halted in his tracks and sighed.

“Michael's upset,” Gavin whispered, “We're going to go for a walk-”

At this, Dan sat up. “You like spending a lot of time with him, don't you?” He asked, and Gavin's eyes slightly widened, because he couldn't tell whether Dan was annoyed by it or not.

“I do,” Gavin answered, “Well... he's Michael.” He shrugged. “But it's nothing like spending time with you. And I know we didn't talk much today-”

“Gav,” Dan stopped the blond from saying anymore. And Gavin did stop talking as he looked at Dan. “Just be sure not to be out so late.”

“I won't,” Gavin smiled at him one more time and left the room.

Dan was left alone again, in the darkness of that bedroom, and he frowned as he tried getting himself comfortable again. Though the sleepiness he had so heavily felt kind of faded after that.

It was fine that Gavin wanted to spend time with Michael and that he wanted to cheer him up; he did get that they had something special, and he did trust Gavin, but he just felt a little... lonely. He had only met Geoff and Griffon the night he and Gavin arrived there, so being in the house without Gavin felt odd. He felt like a stranger who didn't belong there. At least when Gavin was around he felt more confident in making conversations with everybody else, but Gavin was hardly there.

And despite how much Dan didn't want it to, it bothered him.

He took a deep breath and shut his eyes tightly.

“All ready to go?” Gavin asked as he walked back into the kitchen.

Michael was just putting everything into the refrigerator when he heard the question. He nodded, “Yep. This freaking kitchen is officially cleaned up.”

“Because of my help,” Gavin said, a smug grin on his face.

Michael wanted to laugh, but he tilted his head and looked at Gavin with a dull expression.

“What?” Gavin asked.

“Oh, yeah, you definitely helped,” Michael said, “Yeah, washing that _one_ dish. Man, I bet you're worn out. You sure you're up for that walk?”

Gavin kept the smug look on his face as he walked to the front door. “I'm always up for a challenge,” he said.

This time, Michael didn't hold back his laugh.

“You're such an idiot,” he said as he walked up to him.

“Thank you.”

 

* * *

 

Michael and Gavin decided to walk to their favorite place, knowing it was peaceful, especially at night. And it just both gave them a quiet place to think; to be with each other and _think_. Possibly to also talk about and get over certain things. There was just something about being at the lake together that always made things seem easier, even when they really weren't.

Michael crossed his arms, mentally debating with himself before just saying, “I actually did run into my dad,” he started. A part of him didn't even want to bring it up, but the other part of him that wouldn't shut the hell up about it was winning. He just needed to get it off his chest a bit.

Gavin looked at him in awe, but said nothing and Michael went ahead and continued, “We talked.”

“You talked to him?!” Gavin hadn't meant to interrupt Michael, but the thought of Mr. Jones having the nerve to speak to Michael really shocked Gavin.

Michael nodded. “Yeah,” he said, “He, uh, he told me he understands how wrong he was for how he treated me, that he still doesn't like that I'm into guys, but he understands now.” Gavin rolled his eyes. “He also told me that the door was always open if I ever wanted to drop by.”

“Forget about it,” Gavin told him, “Don't even considerate it. This will all pass and you'll probably never have to run into either of them again.”

“I know-”

“Michael, they don't deserve a second chance.”

“I told him that,” Michael said with a nod, “I told him I wasn't going to forgive him, and he said he knew that.”

“Good.”

Michael opened his mouth to say more on the subject, but then he realized, he didn't want to go on with that subject.

It didn't take them as long as it usually did to reach the lake, and for that, Michael was relieved. He just wanted to sit down and admire the water as always; forget about everything and enjoy the time with Gavin. He had so much time with Gavin that day and it was a shame the day was ending already. How much more time would they have together until Monday came along and ended it all? He just wasn't even going to think about how time was running out.

They sat down near the edge and simply stared out, neither of them saying a word to each other, or to themselves. Behind them, they could hear an occasional person walk by every now and so, but other than that, they were basically alone there.

Gavin sighed longingly before turning to smile at Michael. “You know something I haven't talked to you about?” He asked.

Michael faced him as well and nodded at him. “What?”

“Things that have gone on with me this year,” Gavin said, “After I had my time to grieve and really did start getting out more, I did have fun.”

Michael smiled. “Well then, do tell.” He got himself more comfortable, ready to hear a little bit of Gavin's adventures in England.

“Okay, then I definitely have to tell you when Dan and I were actually invited to this fancy party,” Gavin began, and Michael raised an eyebrow, “Yeah, I was surprised, too! But I think I was only invited because they thought it'd be nice since Dan was going. It was a pity invite, but I went anyway.”

“How did Dan get invited?” Michael asked, then his eyes widened. “Not that he couldn't, but-”

“No, no, it's fine,” Gavin laughed, “I was curious how he was, too, because it didn't make much sense to me, either. I mean, he's just Dan,” he smirked. “But it was because he used to be apart of this club with his brother. I, uh... I forget the name. I think it had to do with horses, but I really don't care to remember that part.” Michael laughed.

“Anyway,” Gavin continued with a big sigh, “That club he was apart of is _littered_ with stuck up people who feel they have too much money to deal with, so they throw parties a lot. Dan hasn't been apart of that club for almost a year now, but they never forget him. Dan and I were taking a stroll around the town, just to get some fresh air and maybe some ideas for some more slow motion videos, since it had been a while, and one of the members walked up to his. She explained the upcoming party they were going to have on the weekend, and I don't think Dan wanted to go. He seemed very uninterested, and because of that, _I_ decided to seem interested, but I couldn't even try to care less. I only did it to bother Dan.”

Michael snorted. “Why am I not surprised?”

Gavin grinned at Michael and went on, “The lady looks at me after a while and finally asks me who I am. I explain it to her and she gets this look as if she was trying to wonder if I was being absolutely serious, but when I looked unfazed enough for her to believe me, she said, 'Oh, Dan. Well, he should come too.'”

“ _Should_ ,” Michael laughed.

“Yeah, exactly!” Gavin sat up more. “She didn't really want me to go. That's why I'm saying, it was a pity invite, which is why I _had_ to go.”

“Right,” Michael nodded.

“We go,” Gavin explained, “I'm probably the least dressed up for the event, but I didn't feel like putting too much effort. It didn't matter anyway. No one was paying me any attention, but someone was giving Dan _all_ of their attention.”

“Who?” Michael asked, genuinely intrigued with this story.

“It was this elderly woman. I think she mentioned something about being a member of that club for over twenty years. Yeah, she was a big deal, I'm assuming. And she kept trying to get Dan to dance with her.” Michael raised his eyebrows, and Gavin laughed a little before continuing, “Finally Dan agreed to one dance, figuring it wouldn't be so bad.” Then Gavin pursed his lips.

“But it did?” Michael asked.

Gavin nodded slowly. “Oh, yeah. That woman knew how to move. She was so full of energy and Dan... well, Dan is a mess on the dance floor. He couldn't keep up with the tango.”

Michael snorted at the thought of Dan being flailed around the room by this elderly woman. “Holy shit,” he said, “That's pretty funny.”

“If you were actually there, you wouldn't have been able to stop laughing.” Gavin got to his feet. “I would show you,” he said, “But I need your help,” he held out his hand.

Michael just stared at Gavin, and then at Gavin's hand. “What?” He then asked.

“This demonstration takes more than one person,” Gavin told him.

“I'm not gonna fucking dance with you,” Michael said. “I think I can paint the picture enough in my head without a demonstration.”

Gavin groaned. “Michael, play along.”

Michael wanted to keep protesting, but with the begging look Gavin was giving him, he couldn't. He smiled up at Gavin and took his hand. The blond helped him up and Michael steadied himself, idly wondering how this was even going to play out.

“Okay, so I'll play the elderly woman and lead,” Gavin said, and Michael nodded.

They stepped closer to each other and Gavin gently placed his hand on Michael's waist as Michael placed his hand on Gavin's shoulder.

“Keep in mind,” Gavin said as he went to hold Michael's hand, “This is exactly how they looked. That woman held Dan close and tightly.”

Michael laughed softly, trying to ignore the way his heart was beginning to beat faster.

“And then it went a little something like this,” Gavin said, not even giving Michael a chance to brace himself before he was almost tripping on himself from Gavin's wild movements.

Michael felt himself dragging his own feet in an attempt to catch up with Gavin; his eyebrows furrowed and lips parted in confusion. And he suddenly regretted giving into the demonstration because he almost felt frightened that they were truly going to trip over something.

Gavin noticed the look on Michael's face and had to stop “dancing” to laugh at it.

“Th-that's _e... exactly_ how Dan l-ooked, too,” he could barely speak through his laughter, but Michael could understand him, and he crossed his arms.

Michael watched how Gavin was bending over from how hard he was laughing before Michael started laughing himself.

“Something tells me that's how you normally dance,” Michael said after he caught his breath.

Gavin abruptly stopped laughing to gape at Michael. “I'm a pretty good dancer,” he defended himself.

Michael closed his eyes and shook his head. “No, Gavin. I really doubt you are. It kind of makes me glad we didn't go to prom. That would have been a disaster, but...” he shrugged, “would have also been something funny to look back on.”

Gavin scoffed. “I'll have you know, Michael Jones, that if we would have gone to prom together, it would have gone like this,” he said as he pulled Michael close to him again, his hand going back to resting on Michael's waist.

Michael stiffened and held his breath as he noticed they were even closer than the last time; their faces inches from each other. And when Gavin noticed it, too, he froze and the two of them merely stared at each other. Michael's eyes flickered to Gavin's lips for a second before he quickly looked away.

“And then, uh, we would have, uh,” Gavin stuttered, and Michael frowned. But the blond laughed nervously as he started pulling away, “You know what? You're right. I can't dance.”

“Yeah,” Michael nodded, “I can't either, so it's a good thing we didn't have to... you know, dance together.”

The corners of Gavin's lips rose slightly.

“I would have still danced with you,” he said, in a voice that was barely audible.

Michael looked down at his feet and breathed out a laugh. “I think we need sleep,” he said.

Gavin's smile widened a bit more. “Yeah, I'm exhausted.” He turned to leave, but Michael stayed a bit to stare at the water again.

He smiled to himself, and then saw that Gavin was waiting for him, so he sighed and started to follow the Brit.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also thought this would be the longest fic, but I ended up shortening it a bit and just adding the original last bit to the next chapter instead :) so stay tuned for chapter nine!!! which will hopefully come out sometime this week lol


	9. Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think you will all recognize that little passage in the beginning... maybe... maybe not lol

They both just looked up at the ceiling and remained silent. Gavin tried thinking of something to say, but then Michael spoke up, “Sorry you got feelings for an idiot with a crappy life.”

“Hey,” Gavin shoved Michael and Michael looked at him. “ _I'm_ the idiot, remember?”

Michael looked away, trying hard to hide his smile, but Gavin could see his dimple clearly and it was enough to give him away. The blond grinned as he got closer to Michael and sat up a bit. At first he just stared at Michael, just admiring him, until Michael faced him. Gavin leaned down and planted a small kiss on Michael's forehead. Michael closed his eyes as Gavin did so and opened them when he felt Gavin pull away.

“You have to go,” Michael whispered, his eyes feeling weak.

“I know.”

Michael smiled and turned over onto his side as he got ready to sleep. “But I want you to **stay** ,” he practically mumbled.

Hearing those words made Gavin's smile fall and he looked away, not able to look at Michael anymore.

“Me too, Michael,” was all he could say.

 

* * *

 

“Michael... Michael... Michael?”

Michael groaned at the sound of the voice and the way the owner of that voice kept gently shaking him.

“Wake up,” for some reason, Michael couldn't figure out who that voice belonged to. He only continued to whine about being woken up.

“Michael! God damnit,” oh, it was Geoff...

Michael forced an eye open to look at him. “What?” He grumbled.

“Well, we're gonna be late,” Geoff said, “It's almost nine. You overslept. Come on!”

Then both of Michael's eyes were wide open as he jumped out of bed. There was no actual time they needed to be at the office, as long as they were there and ready to work (and never just wandering in whenever they felt like it), but Michael liked being there on a specific time. It helped him move faster, helped him get things done at work on time, and it worked. Geoff left the bedroom to let Michael get ready and his next stop was the guest room where no sounds came from the other side.

“Gavin!” Geoff called as he knocked loudly on the door.

The blond picked up his head from the pillow, his eyes barely able to open.

“What?” He called out, his voice groggy and his accent even more thick.

“Get up already,” Geoff said, “Jeez. What has you and Michael so tired today?”

Gavin groaned and rested his head back on the pillow. He smiled to himself when he found the right spot, but then the knocks came back and Gavin sat up completely; startled.

“Gavin, I'm not kidding,” Geoff said in a sing-song voice.

The Brit huffed and rubbed his face. “Fine!” He called. “You win.” Gavin just sat there at first, though, trying to find the energy to actually stand up. He looked over at Dan who was now awake and staring up at him.

“Sorry you were woken,” Gavin said as he finally got himself out of bed.

“That's fine,” Dan said, “I wasn't really that tired anyway.”

The blond nodded and kissed Dan swiftly on the lips before exiting the room with a pair of clothes in his hands.

Geoff, Michael, and Gavin were out the door not much later, although Gavin and Michael were still half awake and their steps were a bit clumsy.

Being at work wasn't bad, though, despite the sleep Michael wanted. He found himself dozing off every now and then while they were recording a new episode of “GO!” He almost managed to beat Ray, though, but Ray was quick in finishing the task Geoff had given them.

“Another win for Ray!” Geoff announced as the whole room exploded into groans and loud sighs.

Michael covered his mouth as he yawned.

“Michael was _so_ close, too,” Geoff said to the camera as Lindsay filmed. “What do you have to say, Michael?” Geoff turned to him.

Michael looked at the camera and smiled. “Well played,” he said.

“Another victory for me!” Ray cheered out, and Lindsay walked over to him to record the small dance he made in joy.

Lindsay laughed at it and stopped recording.

“That was fun,” Ryan said with a nod, “I probably could have won.”

“If your Xbox would ever stop updating, yeah,” Geoff told him, and the others laughed.

Michael checked the time and saw that it was officially lunch time. Thank goodness. He could use a break. And from the way his stomach growled loudly, some food would be nice, too.

“Alright, be back here in an hour,” Geoff told everyone.

Michael sighed and stood up from his desk. He headed right for the kitchen, having a craving for a sandwich. He got out what he needed from the refrigerator and then grabbed the bread from the pantry when Gavin walked in.

“Oh, hey,” Michael greeted him with a smile as he started to spread the mayonnaise on each slice of bread.

“Hi, Michael,” Gavin cheerfully said back. He grabbed his lunch, leftovers from the night before, from the refrigerator and went over to the microwave to heat it up.

They were content with the silence around them as they got ready to eat. There wasn't even anything awkward about it. Michael put the finishing touches on his sandwich and put everything else away. Gavin checked his food and when it was warm enough for him, he grabbed a fork and went ahead to sit down next to Michael.

Michael's mind was about to wander to his father and what happened between them again when Gavin spoke up, “I love being here.”

Michael looked at him and swallowed before asking, “Yeah?”

Gavin nodded. “Yeah, I... I don't even know if I want to leave. A week isn't enough. Monday is getting closer.”

“So don't leave,” Michael told him, making it sound so simple and obvious.

Gavin licked his lips and looked down at his food, “But Dan-”

“There's nothing that says you _have_ to leave with him on Monday,” Michael said before taking a sip of his water bottle.

“Well, I do also have work to get back to,” Gavin explained, shrugging a bit, “I only took a week off.”

_Oh..._

Michael nodded, because that was understandable. “Make sure to come visit more often, then,” he suggested.

That wasn't something Gavin had expected Michael to say. It made him grin, though as he asked, “Why? Do you like having me here?”

Michael took another bite from his sandwich, but he mumbled, “Shut up,” through his chewing.

Gavin laughed and went back to eating his food as well. He was about to open his mouth and say more about it when Ray and Joel walked in – well their voices were heard before they actually came into view, but Gavin and Michael were already staring in their direction.

They saw the way Joel gently nudged Ray, causing Ray to laugh.

“I'm just saying,” Joel said, “it sounds like a good idea.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Ray replied.

Michael and Gavin exchanged looks and Gavin leaned closer to him to ask in a whispered tone, “They have a thing for each other, yeah?”

Michael nodded. “ _Ohhh_ yeah.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and Gavin laughed some more, though he tried to repress it as best as he could.

“So, I was thinking about going to see a movie tomorrow night,” Joel said as he headed for the refrigerator, and Michael couldn't help but smirk.

Ray looked at Michael with furrowed eyebrows, but ignored him and said to Joel, “That's a fun way to spend your weekend.”

“Yeah, my only problem is that,” Joel took out two bottles of water. He handed one to Ray as he said, “I have no one to go with. I guess I could go alone, but then I'll be that loser with no friends.”

Michael shook his head and looked at Gavin, who was thinking the same thing from the way he scoffed quietly.

“I can go with you if you want,” Ray offered, and Michael and Gavin couldn't help but cheer “Yes” in the quietest way they could manage, but Ray and Joel heard them clearly.

Ray and Joel looked at the two; Ray with his eyes widened and Joel genuinely confused as to what the boys were excited over.

Gavin bit down on his lower lip to prevent a laugh from escaping. “Well,” he said, jumping off the bar stool. “I think I'll be heading back to the studio now.” They all watched as Gavin walked over to the sink and placed his dirty dishes in. He looked at Michael and nodded. “Later Michael.” And with that, he left.

Michael sighed and took the last bite of his sandwich before placing the plate in the sink as well. “Bye guys,” he mumbled through his full mouth as he tried to hurry back to the Achievement Hunter office, not wanting to get in the way of Joel and Ray anymore.

Ray shook his head, wishing Michael wouldn't be so obvious, and apparently now Gavin was in on it. He sighed and turned to Joel, “So... seven PM sound good to you, for tomorrow?” He asked, and Joel smiled at him.

Michael wanted to laugh when he walked back into the office. He didn't tease Ray on purpose. He really just wanted his friend to stop being so oblivious to his feelings. He shook his head, but before he sat down, he noticed a folded up paper on his desk. He looked around, but the only other person in there was Geoff, and Geoff was on the phone, paying him no attention at all.

Michael raised an eyebrow, curious, and he picked up the note. Unfolding it, his eyes widened, because he could recognize the neat, almost cursive, handwriting anywhere. His father...

 

> _Dear Michael,_
> 
> _I just came by to see you. The lady in the front told me you were on break. I'm asking her to leave this for you. I hope you accept my invitation and come over tomorrow night for dinner. You don't have to stay long. I just want us to talk more._
> 
> _Your father._

Michael sat down slowly as he read over it again. He really was beginning to believe he would never have to encounter his parents at all again. He believed what happened the night before was a one time thing, but here was his father again, reaching out. Michael took a deep breath.

“I can't believe you,” Ray said as he came rushing into the office.

Michael almost dropped the letter in his hands, but he quickly crumbled it up and looked at Ray with a raised eyebrow.

“Why?” He asked, hoping he sounded casual.

Ray glanced at the crumbled paper in Michael's hands, but he avoided questioning it as he went back to his original statement, “What you and Gavin did back there, with Joel.” He narrowed his eyes at his best friend.

Michael grinned at him. “I'm not the only one who sees it,” he said, “Gavin knew from the moment you two walked in.”

“Knew _what_?” Ray squinted his eyes. “There's nothing to know.”

Michael pointed at him. “You're even doing the squinty eye thingy like he does all the time.”

Ray crossed his arms and shook his head. “You say that like he's the only one who squints his eyes,” he headed over to his chair and sat down.

Michael turned to face him again, “No, but he is the one who does it the most here.” He looked over at the trash can before tossing the letter in it.

Now Ray's curiosity was piqued. “What was that?” He asked.

“A list of things I finally completed,” Michael lied. He sat up and put on his headphones, “Time to get to work, Ray.”

Ray rolled his eyes, but smiled as he did the same.

 

* * *

 

Somewhere throughout the day, a movie night at the Ramsey's had been arranged. Geoff invited each of Michael's friends, but only Miles, Lindsay and Chris were able to go. Barbara had already made plans to hang out with Arryn after work, so she was busy with that, and Ray was going to stream since his fans had been asking him when his next one was going to be.

Admittedly, Michael was ecstatic about having some a movie night with some of his close friends, and he thanked Geoff for bringing it up as they headed out for the day.

Geoff patted his back and said, “I figured you guys needed a break and sometime together without thinking about work.”

Michael smiled at him and got into the car, followed by Gavin.

“We'll meet you guys there!” Miles called to Geoff, giving him a thumbs up.

Geoff nodded and headed over to the driver's side.

“What movie are we watching?” Gavin asked as he buckled in his seat belt. He looked at Michael for that answer, but Michael shrugged.

“Whatever looks decent on Netflix,” Geoff answered, and Michael laughed.

“Nice,” he said.

Miles had actually, and surprisingly, gotten there with Lindsay and Chris before them. Geoff stared at Miles with a questionable look as he parked the car in the driveway.

“ _How_?” He asked him.

Miles smiled innocently. “You took the long way, Geoff,” he explained, “You need to remember there's other roads.”

“Oh, shut up,” Geoff said as he got out of his car.

Michael and Gavin jumped out afterwards and walked over to their friends.

“You better show me a good time,” Miles said to Michael, “Because I could be napping right now.”

Michael blinked. “You want a good time?” He asked as he closed the gap between them, and he stared hard into Miles' eyes, “I'll show you a good time.” His voice was low.

Miles crossed his arms, furrowing his eyebrows. “I feel _very_ intimidated right now,” he said in a forced stern voice, and Michael's expression softened as he laughed and stepped back.

“I was almost scared you two were going to make-out right here in my driveway,” Geoff joked, and Michael looked at him in awe.

“Technically, it's my driveway, too,” Michael said.

Geoff sighed and corrected himself, “I was almost scared you two were going to make-out right here in _our_ driveway.”

Michael grinned and nodded. They all huddled into the house, immediately making themselves comfortable; most of them except for Michael all jumping onto the couch.

“Instead of getting lazy right off the bat,” Geoff said as he walked over to them, “How about you, Gavin, go get Dan, and you three pick a good movie?”

“I'm on it,” Lindsay said as she reached for the remote.

Gavin stood up and ran up the stairs as Michael walked into the kitchen with Geoff to grab snacks.

“Is Griffon home?” Michael asked, but then they both heard the sound of a chainsaw going off and they smiled at each other. “So she's home.”

“Yep,” Geoff laughed.

Michael popped popcorn as Geoff poured chips into a bowl before grabbing some dip to go along. They returned to the living room to find Lindsay, Chris, and Miles practically snuggled up together on the center couch as Gavin sat alone on the couch up against the windows. Dan was seated on the sofa on the other side. Geoff sat down next to Gavin, and Michael squeezed in between Chris and Lindsay, receiving a “Did I say you could sit here?” from Chris.

Michael glared at him, and Chris merely laughed.

“I was kidding,” he said, “of course you can sit here, Michael. I love it when you sit next to me.” Chris proceeded to wrapping his arms around Michael, but Michael stiffened.

“Chris, get the fuck off me,” he said.

“Okay,” Chris quickly pulled away.

Lindsay covered her mouth as she attempted not to laugh so loudly at that.

“So, what movie did you all decide on?” Geoff asked.

“It's a surprise,” Miles said, “Which is why we turned off the TV. We didn't want you or Michael to see yet.”

“Huh,” Geoff nodded, “Yeah, I was wondering why you idiots were just sitting around staring at a blank screen.”

Miles smiled. “There's a reason for everything,” he said, then looked at Lindsay, “Lindsay, do us the honors.”

“Gladly,” the redhead said as she turned the TV back on.

It looked to be once of those horribly cheesy scary movies; this one was about clowns apparently – clowns and country sides. This was going to be fun...

The movie started out slow, trying but failing miserably on giving a decent background on each character.

“I really don't give a shit why that guy is a dick,” Michael said as he stuffed his mouth with popcorn, “He's a dick. End of story. Now move on.”

Miles, Lindsay, and Chris laughed, but Dan only looked at them, smiling as if he was trying to find the humor in Michael's comment. Geoff ended up taking out his notebook of Lets Play ideas to go over them with Gavin. Gavin was interested, and soon enough, they both completely forgot about the movie as they discussed the ideas together.

“Ohhhh, _great_ ,” Michael said, a long sigh following after, “Just one of the many things a lot of scary movies put in that they shouldn't; unnecessary sex scenes.”

“He's a dick, but apparently a good kisser,” Lindsay added, a look of disgust on her face.

Miles laughed. “Like that makes up for it,” he managed to say through his laugh, and Michael, Chris, and Lindsay laughed as well.

The movie finally stopped with all the dull, drawn out details and went into the “scary” parts, where the clowns finally showed up. The group of friends went to the country fair, because they hadn't yet and it was the fair's last day open.

Miles, Michael, Lindsay, Chris, and Dan watched intensely, trying to find something to like about one of the characters, but it wasn't working because the more the characters talked, the more annoying they became.

“I can't wait for a fucking clown to pop up and-” before Michael could even finish saying that, a clown did exactly that – pop up and scare one of the characters.

Chris and Miles jumped, and Michael and Lindsay laughed. The clown in the movie laughed, too, and then gave the girl he had scared an apologetic smile before wandering off.

“Yeah, you look nice now,” Michael said, “But I know what you're going to do, you little shit.”

Dan sighed quietly and smiled at Michael said, though he couldn't shake the feeling of being unwanted there. He hardly knew any of them. Sure he had a nice lunch with them a few days before, but he could tell how close they all were with each other.

Miles noticed that, too, therefore he turned his attention to Dan and asked, “So, Dan, how have you been liking Austin?”

Dan's eyebrows rose, surprised a question was directed at him. He saw the others looking at him now, too. “Oh, uh, it's been great, actually,” he answered with a smile.

“Any places you still want to see before you have to leave?” Chris asked.

Dan rubbed his chin as he seemed to think about it. “Oh, well, I've been wanting to see a few of the museums, maybe even the Longhorn Dam.”

Miles nodded as he listened. “Yeah, I think you definitely should. This city's pretty cool.”

“Did you grow up here?” Dan asked him.

“Born and raised,” he said proudly with a grin.

Michael suddenly stood up, clapping his hands together, getting all their attention. “I'm going to get us some drinks. What do you all want?” He looked around the room.

Gavin got up as well and said, “I'll just have some water.”

“Pepsi.”

“Water.”

“Whatever you have.”

“I'm good.”

“Mountain Dew.”

Michael nodded and began to walk out of there, but Gavin went with him.

“You didn't have to come help me,” Michael told him as he opened the refrigerator.

“I know, but did you really want to carry all that stuff in your hands on your own?” Gavin asked.

Michael thought about it, then nodded. “You're right.” He handed a few of the drinks to Gavin before taking the rest.

“I like this,” Gavin said, not moving from his spot.

Michael was about to start walking, but he stayed a moment to say, “Yeah, me too. Reminds me of old times... you know, whenever I would sneak out just to go hang out with you guys.”

Gavin breathed out a laugh. “Oh... that's not funny,” he said right after, stopping himself from laughing anymore.

Michael smiled. “It's fine,” he said. “It's in the past.”

“Where it'll stay,” Gavin assured him with a nod. He turned and headed back into the living room. Michael could hear him say, “Hey! Who asked for Mountain Dew and water?”

“Me!” Miles called.

“And me!” Lindsay joined in.

The smile from Michael's face fell a bit before it was completely gone. His parents were a part of Michael's past, and yes, they needed to stay there. It was best if they did, Michael knew that. Of course he knew that.

 _I just want us to talk more,_ Mr. Jones had wrote.

Michael shook his head, shaking himself out of those thoughts, and told himself it didn't matter anymore, because it didn't. He took a deep breath and headed back to give everyone else their drinks.

 


	10. Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit short, but it's mainly like a filler haha, and next chapter will probably feel short, too, but we'll go back to long chapter with chapter twelve :)

The movie ended with most of the characters except the main couple – the dick and the girl who liked him – dead. There were so many eye rolls going around in the living room from having to experience such a bad ending to a bad movie, but everyone agreed that there wasn't any other movie that was better for them to watch.

“I mean, a bad horror movie like that sets up for friends to make jokes,” Miles said.

“Which is what Michael did,” Chris added, and Michael smiled proudly.

Lindsay stood up from the couch and stretched before she said, “I think it's time that we go.”

“Oh, yeah,” Miles nodded, “I have to drive you both home,” he looked back and forth from Lindsay and Chris. “And you two just _happen_ to live in such different directions from each other.”

Chris smiled at him. “I'm glad I'm not you right now,” he said with an almost baby tone.

“Hmm, fuck off,” Miles used the same tone with that reply.

Gavin laughed and walked the three of them out, waving goodbye to them at the door.

After they were gone and Gavin returned to his seat, Michael sat in silence, merely thinking about that invitation he received from his father again.

He knew dinner at his parents' house always started at around five PM to seven PM; never earlier or never later than that. It was this little schedule his mom had with meals.

But wait... Michael wasn't actually considering it, though.

It was just something that kept crossing his mind because he had never expected it to happen.

“I don't know about you guys,” Geoff said as he stood up, “But I'm starving. Let's have food that doesn't involve the words 'popcorn' and 'chips'.”

At that, Michael hurriedly followed Geoff into the kitchen. Geoff noticed immediately how antsy Michael looked to be, and he couldn't help but ask, “Is there a reason you look like you're about to pass out?” Then corner came into his eyes, “Are you feeling okay?”

Michael nodded. Well, maybe not _completely_ okay, but he didn't know where to start. Bringing up the subject of his parents wasn't an easy thing to discuss with Geoff, but if he needed to discuss it with anyone, it had to be him.

“So I got a bit of a surprise today after lunch,” Michael began, but instead of asking anything about that surprise, Geoff just continued to listen, “This is ridiculous, Geoff, okay. On Monday I received a letter from my mom, and today...” he paused and sighed, “today, I got one from my dad. Apparently he dropped by, though, and tried speaking to me face-to-face-”

“He what?” Geoff's voice was filled with automatic anger that Michael took a step back.

“Yeah,” Michael answered, “but I was on break, so he left a note with Kara. Geoff, he invited me over for dinner tomorrow night.”

“Why are your parents suddenly trying to get on your good side?” Geoff asked, his expression soft again, though the anger was still there in his tone.

“I have no idea what made my mom write me her letter,” Michael said, “but I think I know why my dad tried seeing me.”

“Why?”

Michael licked his lips and frowned as he thought back to the grocery store. His father had seemed nice enough, but were looks just deceiving?

“I saw him when we went to get those groceries for you after Gav and I came home from the pool,” Michael explained, “he, uh... he told me that he still didn't like my preferences but that he understood that what he did was wrong. I barely said anything back to him, other than he shouldn't expect my forgiveness,” he found himself staring down at the floor, not wanting to meet Geoff's eyes anymore, “and then he told me his door was always open.”

There was silence, which forced Michael to look up again. His eyes carefully scanned Geoff's face, looking for an answer, but he couldn't find any.

Then finally... “I'm not letting you go,” Geoff told him, and Michael furrowed his eyebrows.

“Whether I do go or not, that'd be _my_ decision, Geoff,” Michael said, because the tone Geoff had use to tell him that really wasn't how Michael thought he would respond.

“I know, but...” Geoff sighed. “Michael, you don't want to do this. You know better.”

Michael scoffed and shook his head. Yeah, he did know better, but that didn't mean it would be the stupidest thing if he wanted to give this a chance. Well, maybe it would be the stupidest thing, and maybe a part of Michael had wished Geoff would have been all for it, but that was just a silly thought.

“It's my dad, Geoff,” Michael then said, “I just... I know this is stupid, but what if this an opportunity I'll never get again? What if I throw this away and wonder for the rest of my fucking life what could have happened? If you got a second chance, wouldn't _you_ take it?”

Geoff turned away, not wanting Michael to see the expression on his face. He couldn't even believe what he was hearing. From the moment he asked Michael to move in, he always promised himself he would do everything to keep him safe, and having Michael walk right back into that trap wasn't safe.

“Promise me you won't go see them,” Geoff said, his voice sounding desperate, because he just couldn't handle this. He couldn't allow Michael to go through with it, and he wanted to believe Michael would do the wise thing and forget about that invitation completely.

Michael opened his mouth to protest until Geoff turned back around and Michael saw the hint of worry in Geoff's eyes.

“I won't go,” Michael said softly instead, “I'm... I'm sorry for even bringing it up.”

Geoff sighed in relief as he walked up to Michael. He stood in front of the younger lad, wanting to laugh because he almost thought Michael really wanted to go. He patted Michael's arm and said, “I'm always here for you, okay?”

Michael nodded, yet he still didn't smile. “I know,” he barely whispered.

With that, the older man left the room to get Griffon, but Michael stayed behind and leaned against the counter. He crossed his arms and frowned.

Geoff was beyond right; Michael did know better than to give into a stupid invitation by his lunatic of a father. Mr. Jones didn't accept Michael then, and if he even admitted that he still couldn't, but it was just the fact that he showed up at the building to personally talk to Michael that had Michael wondering. What if things could be better this time?

He shook his head. No, fuck that. It wasn't going to be different. It would probably be the same thing, with possibly just less yelling.

A loud vibration came from behind Michael, and Michael looked over to see Geoff's phone and an incoming call from Joel. Michael was going to leave it, let it go to voicemail, but then the corners of his lips rose a bit as something came to mind.

He grabbed the phone and answered, “Hey, Joel.”

Joel looked at his phone, checking to make sure he did dial Geoff and not Michael, but seeing that he did, Joel held his phone back to his ear, “Hi, Michael,” he greeted. “Is Geoff around?”

“Oh, yeah, he's outside,” Michael answered.

Joel nodded. “Oh, okay. Well, can you tell him that I called?”

“Of course I can.”

“Thanks, Michael,” but before Joel could hang up, he heard Michael shout, “Wait!” Joel stared at his phone a moment, assuming maybe Geoff had just walked in and Michael was stopping him from having to hang up.

Joel held up his phone again and said, “Hmm?”

“Uh, I know this is out of the ordinary and I could ask any of my other close friends this, but uh... I think I might need some advice on something,” Michael began, and he was happy they were on the phone, because he was practically grinning. “You know, um... relationship advice?”

Joel furrowed his eyebrows. Of all the things... “And you're asking _me_?” He asked Michael.

“Sure, why not?”

Joel blinked, but shrugged. “Well, what's on your mind?”

Michael turned away from the phone a second to laugh a little, and then cleared his throat before starting, “I'm pretty good friends with someone, and I just feel like we hit it off great. We think the same things are funny, stuff that probably no one else would find humorous, we may not have all the same things in common, and they may be a _little_ older than me, but I just feel like we go so well together anyway.”

Joel hated to admit it, but he was actually intrigued. “Who is this person, exactly?” He asked.

Michael bit down on his lower lip, but he asked in a casual voice, “Does that matter?”

Joel shook his head and smiled, although Michael couldn't see him. “No,” he said. “But uh...” he scratched his chin, “Do you have any idea if this person might feel the same?”

Michael sighed. “ _Well_ ,” he pretended like he was thinking about it, but really he was just thinking up what to say, “There have been hints here and there, but I'm pretty shit with knowing what they all mean.” His smile began to appear again before he said, “Ray's the same way. Uh, we'll basically be unsure about anyone liking us unless that person just fucking comes up to us and tells us.”

At that, Joel's eyebrows rose.

“Ray's like that?” He asked Michael.

“Oh, yeah, definitely!” Michael nodded, but then he paused again as if thinking about something. “Well... that or he just likes it when _someone_ is up and forward with him.” He almost laughed again. “I'm leaning more towards that second thing now the more I think about it. It's nice to have someone go up to you and tell you how they feel, wouldn't you agree?” Though he didn't wait for Joel's answer, “It takes away from the pressure of having to wonder _over and over_ whether they like you back or not. And hey, the worst that can happen is have your crush not like you back. At least you can say you tried and you can feel pretty damn proud of yourself, because that shit isn't easy.” And the whole time Michael had been talking, Joel had a look of concentration on his face, as if he was coming up with something in his head.

Michael smiled, only imagining what was going through Joel's mind, then he sighed deeply and purposely dramatically. “Wow, Joel,” he said suddenly, snapping Joel out of his thoughts. Michael hoped his excitement didn't sound too played out, “Thank you! I think I know what to do now!”

Joel's eyebrows twitched together as he looked at the phone in confusion. “Wha- uh... you're welcome?”

“Yeah,” Michael said, “I just need to go right up to that person and tell them, 'Hey, I like you. You make my days better and I just really fucking like when you're around'.” Michael covered his mouth to hold in a laugh as he waited for Joel to talk now.

“Yeah,” Joel said, sounding much more upbeat now. “Yeah, you do that! Okay, yeah. Have a great evening, Michael.” And with that, the call ended.

Michael grinned to himself and shook his head. “That was _too_ easy,” he said.

“I can't believe you just did that,” Michael heard Gavin say. He looked over to find the Brit standing in the doorway, a smug smile on his face.

Michael rolled his eyes and set Geoff's phone back down where it originally was. He held up his hands and smiled. “If Joel did get what I was trying to say, then the first move will be made tomorrow night when he and Ray go see a movie together.”

Gavin shook his head. “I have to say, I'm proud of you for helping them out.”

“In all honesty, I should just fucking mind my own business,” Michael admitted, “but hey, what can I say? When it's more than obvious two people have feelings for each other but have no idea what to do with it, they need a little push.”

“I agree.”

Gavin looked to his right and saw Geoff returning with Griffon. He moved out of the way to allow both of them to enter the kitchen.

“Well, boys,” Geoff said as he rubbed his hands together, “Time for food.”

 


	11. Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did mention that this chapter and the previous one were going to be short. This one is super short, so apologies for that! But the next chapters will be longer. :)

He had curly hair; kind of like an auburn color and it had some sort of a bushiness to it, especially when looking at it from the back, which is what Gavin was staring at. Gavin was on his way towards Dan, but he had been walking, and it had started to pour, so he headed into the nearest coffee shop. He called Dan to let him know, and then Dan offered to pick him up from there.

“I'll wait here, then,” Gavin said before hanging up. That's when he turned away from the window and saw the curly locks.

Gavin gasped quietly as he stared at the man in line; the man with curly hair that was practically taunting him, daring him to think back, giving him no chance but to remember. And Gavin felt something twist inside him as he continued to stare. He wanted to look away, because surely it was crazy and that person wasn't who he thought it was, but... he couldn't. He had to keep staring no matter how disturbing it may have looked.

“ _I love you.”_

Gavin blinked hard and turned around so he wouldn't have to stare anymore.

“ _Ooh, Michael just told you he loves you,” Geoff teased behind him._

The blond looked out the window again but he was more distracted again by the reflection of the curly haired man in line.

This had been the first time in months that Michael had crossed Gavin's mind. No, that was a lie. Every single time Gavin called Geoff, Michael came to mind, but this was the first time he had thought about Michael and felt a knot form in his stomach because of it. This was the first time he had thought about Michael without talking to Geoff.

_Gavin grinned crookedly and said, “I love him, too.”_

Gavin took a deep breath and was letting out slowly when he heard his name. Jumping a bit, he spun around to meet with Dan's concerned expression.

“Are you alright?” Dan asked. “You seem a bit shaken up.”

Gavin licked his lips and smiled his usual smile. “What?” He asked. “No, I'm great. I am.” He nodded.

Although Dan wasn't completely convinced, he returned the smile and gestured towards the exit. Gavin started walking towards the door, but he glanced back towards the line, and Dan followed his gaze.

“What is it?” Dan asked, not seeing anything or anyone in particular.

Gavin frowned. The curly haired man was gone. But why did he care? That person was just a stranger. And he shook his head and laughed it off.

“Nothing,” he simply said before walking out of there.

 

* * *

 

 

Michael sighed quietly to himself as he sat at the table in the kitchen. It was morning now and his stomach was begging for food, but he really couldn't bring himself to get up and make himself anything. He started to tap his fingers on the table, hoping time would just pass him by, along with the day, and he could forget about a certain invitation.

“Michael?”

Michael looked over his shoulder to see Gavin standing in the doorway, eyes half hooded as if he had literally just gotten out of bed, which he probably did.

“I would ask if I woke you,” Michael began, “but I was doing nothing but sitting here.”

Gavin shook his head, smiling lazily as he headed to the table. He sat down across from Michael and Michael raised his eyebrows as the blond yawned.

“If you're still tired, why did you get up?” Michael asked.

Gavin shrugged. “I just didn't feel like being in bed anymore.”

Michael nodded, his eyes shifting down to look at his own hands. “Yeah, me neither.”

“Okay, Michael,” Gavin huffed and leaned forward, but Michael still didn't look at him, “You've been acting off. I was going to ask you yesterday before we went to bed, but I didn't want to bother you.” And when Michael said nothing, Gavin frowned and reached his hand over, though Michael took both his hands off the table. The Brit raised an eyebrow.

“Anytime I talked about my parents,” Michael started, “I always mentioned the bad parts.”

Gavin sat back in his chair. “Isn't that all?”

Michael shook his head, then sighed. “Not really,” he answered. “When I was a little kid, we had _some_ good times together. They weren't always so religious and strict about everything. I think the more I grew up, the more they changed, because I remember...” Michael licked his lips, and he still kept his head low as he talked, “I remember calling my dad my _hero_.”

The corners of Gavin's lips twitched up slightly, and Michael slowly looked up at him. 

“He used to be decent enough for me to want to look up to him,” he explained, “but I always forget about that part, because of all the shit he and my mom put me through these last couple of years, specifically last year. The way they treated me basically had me erasing any good memories I could have of them.”

Gavin tried thinking of something to say, but then Michael said something else, “I wish they could have stayed that way, the way they were when I was younger. By the time I was twelve, they were who they are now. They bossed me around, had me locked up in the house as long as they could keep their eye on me, and I couldn't say anything about it because I was too scared to disrespect them. Those days where they would actually show me that they loved me...” Michael looked up at the ceiling, “I want them back.”

“I don't want to feel intimidated around my own dad,” he continued, “I don't want to fucking shiver at the sight of my mom. I don't want them to make me feel ashamed because of who I am. I just want my dad to be proud of me like when he would proud over a dumb drawing or puzzle I would finish. It never mattered how pointless it was, as long as I was happy, he was happy.” Michael's fingers curled into a fist and he punched the table before jumping up from the chair. 

Gavin looked at him and merely watched as Michael ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. 

“Because I used to be his little Michael,” Michael said, the sound of choking back tears evident in his voice, “His little boy Michael.” He scoffed and shook his head. “I know I grew up, but that doesn't mean I had to stop meaning anything to him. Why did _me_ growing up had to make them HATE me?!” His eyes were wide and noticeably watery now that Gavin could barely look at him. 

Michael took a deep breath to calm himself down and fight that annoying urge to cry. He slowly sat back down, staring off at nothing. “I'm sorry,” he whispered to Gavin, “I didn't mean to yell like that.”

“It's fine,” Gavin told him. “I don't blame you.”

“Do you think it's dumb for me wanting that back?” Michael asked, his eyes hopeful in Gavin's answer. 

Gavin smiled at him. “No,” he said, “I would want it back, too.”

Michael nodded, feeling a bit better that he wasn't the only one who would, but he still couldn't shake it from him. “I just-” he stood up again, feeling too antsy to stay in one place, “My life is great right now,” he said, “Why am I trying to complicate it? Everything is going they way they shou-” But he looked at Gavin before he could even finish that sentence. 

Gavin tilted his head and Michael frowned. 

“Almost everything,” he muttered to himself. 

“What?” Gavin asked.

Michael rolled his eyes. “Nothing,” he said. 

“Michael, I am going to fucking murder you,” Geoff said as he walked into the kitchen, making both boys jump a bit, and Michael spun around to face him. 

“Why?” Michael asked.

“Why were you screaming?” Geoff asked, rubbing his eyes as he made his way towards the refrigerator. “It's only seven in the morning. It's too early for that.”

“Oh,” Michael said under his breath before he forced a smile on his face and said louder, “Sorry, Geoff.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” the older man mumbled as he rummaged through the food in the refrigerator. 

Michael looked at Gavin one more time before making his way out of there. “I'm heading back to my room if anyone needs me,” he said.

Gavin got up from where he was sitting and walked to the counter. “Geoff, I'm worried about Michael,” he made sure his voice was only loud enough for Geoff to hear in case Michael came back unexpectedly.

Geoff closed the refrigerator door and furrowed his eyebrows at Gavin. “Why? What's going on?” 

“Ever since he saw his parents, he's been...” Gavin put his hands up, “Well, I'm sure you've seen how different he's acting.”

Geoff nodded. “Yeah, he told me about the note,” he said before taking a sip of juice.

Gavin blinked. “Note?” He looked towards the staircase, then back at Geoff. “What note?”

“Oh, he didn't tell you?” And Gavin shook his head.

“Oops,” Geoff took another sip of his juice and shrugged. “His dad invited him over for dinner. I think that really conflicted him.”

“He wasn't actually considering going, was he?” 

“When he was talking about it with me, it sounded like he did.” Geoff placed the glass into the sink and sighed. “He was doing so well without them, without them trying to get into his life again, and now Michael can't keep his mind off them. It's bullshit. He doesn't need them.”

“I agree,” Gavin nodded, “They're the absolute worst, but he was talking to me about how they used to treat him, when he was only a lad. They were good parents once. I think Michael just wishes they could somehow be that way with him again.”

“Well Michael's not a kid anymore,” Geoff said, “And his parents... they're just not good people. They think they are, but they're not.”

Gavin nodded again. “I know,” he said, “And I trust Michael. I know he wouldn't do anything stupid. At least not on purpose.” He smiled, making Geoff laugh a bit.

Despite how badly Michael wanted to slam the door behind him, he didn't. He took the fact that Griffon and Dan were still asleep into consideration as he gently closed his bedroom door. He didn't know why he was suddenly feeling so much anger. 

If it hadn't been for Gavin, though, Michael would have still been downstairs, sitting there alone and having the anger fill him up even more and worse. 

He wanted to know – to understand – if it was something he did between the years of nine and twelve that made his parents look at each other and say “We're too easy on this kid.” 

Or was it really just how into religion, how into the _rules_ they were that completely changed everything about them?

Michael didn't know. Maybe he would never know, because he wasn't sure he could ever ask. But there was one thing he did know and that was that he wasn't going to let his parents think they could step back into his life whenever the hell they wanted.

No.

He would be going over to that damn house, but for one reason and one reason only...

To tell them to fuck off. 

 


	12. Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T/W: Abuse (physically and verbally), some blood, so be weary of that.

_What the fuck am I doing? I can just turn back right now. I don't have to actually go through with this. Only a god damn idiot would. So why am I still walking?_

Michael couldn't make the nerves stop even if he tried. At this point, he was dragging his feet. To turn back now would be a waste. He was almost there. He recognized the street signs so well. He just needed to get this over with. He was determined to go through with it, so he would.

Getting out of the house without looking suspicious left Geoff questioning him a little too much. Questions that ranged from “Where are you going?”, “Why do you have to go right now?”, “Will you be home for dinner?”, and “You aren't going where I think you're going, are you?”

Michael was able to answer each one with a serious expression. He couldn't flinch or Geoff would know. Geoff was good at figuring things out like that, but in this case, Michael wished he wasn't.

Michael took a deep breath and kept his eyes on his feet as he walked.

He had planned out with himself – everything he was going to say. He was pretty confident in himself not to completely screw this up.

Everything would be fine.

He would get there, speak his mind, and leave.

Then he would never look back. Never again.

Looking up, Michael halted in his tracks, because there it was. The house seemed to be taunting him; the cozy and comfortable appeal it had, but what hell he went through inside. Looks were so deceiving sometimes.

Michael swallowed the lump in his throat and glared at the front door before practically marching right up to it. He lifted up his fist, but then stilled, the expression on his face softening as he looked up.

“What am I doing here?” He asked himself as he took a step back, and he only got another step back when the front door swung open.

Michael jumped at the sudden surprise, and he gasped quietly when he saw his father standing in the doorway.

Well, no turning back now.

“Michael,” Mr. Jones said, voice loud and a smile on his face that Michael had never seen before. It wasn't friendly, but it wasn't completely malicious, either. He watched as his father moved aside and gestured towards the inside. “Why don't you come in?”

Michael was hesitant. He had his speech planned, but he wasn't even sure he remembered it anymore.

“Okay,” he said softly as he started walking forward. He kept his head down again and took a deep breath before stepping fully inside. His eyes began to wander around to look at everything in sight, everything that looked so familiar yet so strange. But really, most of everything was still where Michael remembered them to be – there was still that little cat statue in the corner by the staircase, oh and that cabinet up against the wall filled with books he had never heard of.

Michael smiled slightly despite how uncomfortable he was, and as he heard the door close behind him, he knew he made a mistake.

 

* * *

 

Gavin ran down the stairs, a crooked smile on his face that instantly faded when he looked around the living room.

“Where's Michael?” He asked Geoff who was snuggled up on the couch with Griffon.

Geoff looked over at him and said, “He went out.”

Gavin's eyes slightly widened. “Oh. Where?”

“To hang out with some kid he apparently hasn't talked to in a long time.”

Gavin furrowed his eyebrows at that. “Some kid?”

“Yeah,” Geoff nodded, but he looked just as confused as Gavin was, “Uh, a Caleb? He said he knew him in high school.”

Gavin blinked. He remembered a Caleb briefly, maybe from one of his classes, but he didn't know Michael knew him.

“I really wanted to tell him something,” Gavin said, “but I guess it'll have to wait until later, because I'm going out, too.”

“Where?” Griffon asked as she looked over her shoulder to see Gavin heading to the door.

“Miles asked if we could hang out,” Gavin told her, “Figured it'd be a good idea since who knows when I'll see him again after Monday.”

Geoff smiled. “Yeah, have fun, buddy. Cherish those moments with Miles.”

Gavin rolled his eyes but he was smiling. The door bell rang and Gavin opened it to find Miles standing on the other side.

Miles raised his eyebrows and grinned at him. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” Gavin answered with a nod. He was starting to step out of the house when he stopped and looked over at Geoff again, “If Michael comes home before I do, can you let him know that I have to talk to him?”

Geoff was going to protest, but he sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I'll let him know.”

“Thanks, Geoff.” With that, Gavin left.

Griffon pursed her lips as she looked at Geoff. “Do you really think Michael has a friend named Caleb? I feel like we would have known about him.”

“Aw, come on, Grif,” Geoff pulled her in closer, “I know he's basically like a son to us, but in reality, he isn't. We can't know _everything_.”

“I know,” Griffon said, “I just... call me crazy, but I just have this bad feeling.”

“Michael's fine,” Geoff assured her. “He's a smart boy.” He leaned forward and kissed his wife's forehead before they turned their attention back to the TV.

 

* * *

 

“Where's Mom?” Michael asked, having no idea what else to do or talk about, and just trying to ignore the way his heart thudded against his chest.

They both hadn't moved from their spot by the door, but when he turned around to look at his father, his lips parted.

He saw his father raise a bottle to his mouth and smile at him again – that same, oddly creepy, smile. And Michael wasn't sure there was anything he could even say at this point. If there was one thing he had never seen before it was his father drinking.

“You're... you're, uh-” Michael cleared his throat and blinked hard, because this couldn't be true. “You're drinking? Since when did you start drinking?” He asked.

Mr. Jones laughed; a laugh filled with absolute cruelness.

“About a year,” he answered, with such a slur, and Michael also noticed how he almost stumbled as he tried to get closer. Mr. Jones took another chug of the large bottle before tossing it aside.

Michael cringed at the sound of it shattering against the wall. He even idly wondered what his mom would think of that, or what she _has_ been thinking about it.

“You're already drunk out of your mind, aren't you?” Michael asked as he took a step away from his father.

Mr. Jones shrugged. “It helps,” he said. “It's been helping.” As he took a step forward, Michael took one backwards.

“What the hell is drinking everyday gonna help with?” Michael asked him.

And there was that smile again on his dad's face.

“With having a faggot for a son,” Mr. Jones slurred out so badly, but Michael heard every word clearly.

He rose his eyebrows. Was he even surprised, though? No, so he didn't know why he was even letting that statement wound him on the inside, but it was.

“So why did you even bother inviting me over?” Michael asked. “If it's so hard for you to deal with having a son like me, why bother?” He knew the answer he wanted to hear, the one where his father would magically say that it was because he wanted to start over; to get back something they lost years ago. But that answer was so far out the window now.

Any little ounce of hope Michael had carried since he received that note, the hope he had when he had talked to Gavin that morning – it was gone.

He knew precisely how his father felt about him, and that wasn't going to change, so damn him for ever thinking it might.

“Trust me, Michael,” Mr. Jones spoke, “I wouldn't have even remembered you being here.” He shrugged and tried getting closer to Michael, but Michael only backed away more. “Think of it as me being _nice_ ,” he laughed.

Michael narrowed his eyes at him. “Yeah, well, I don't need you pretending to be nice to me,” he told the man.

Mr. Jones got himself to stop laughing as he squinted his eyes at Michael. “I think I do,” he said, “You were always so sensitive. Such a little baby you are. Anything can hurt your stupid little feelings.”

Michael crinkled up his nose as he continued to glare at Mr. Jones. This wasn't what he needed to hear. This wasn't what he came here for. So he slowly shook his head.

“You know what?” He asked.

“What?” Mr. Jones looked as though he was struggling to hold in another laugh.

“Go fuck yourself,” Michael said through clenched teeth before he stormed off.

He barely got to the door when his father's hand slammed against it, preventing Michael from opening it. Michael held his breath as he looked over his shoulder and met with his father's eyes.

“Let me leave,” he said, keeping his voice calm, and keeping himself calm. “You didn't want me here anyway.”

“Shut up,” Mr. Jones growled as he grabbed Michael, “you fucking little brat!” And Michael held his hands out in front of him, stopping his face from making contact with the wall first when Mr. Jones tossed him aside.

He felt his knees begin to wobble but he wasn't going to show any weakness. He couldn't. Not now. He didn't want to turn around. He would rather stare at the wall and somehow pretend his father would go away, or let him go.

“You don't have a clue, Michael,” Mr. Jones was speaking again, but Michael still couldn't look at him, “of how embarrassing, how _humiliating_ it is to have to be asked about you and have to look at the other person's face as you tell them what a disgrace you ended up being?”

Disgrace? Mr. Jones was acting as though Michael coming out had been the end of a good life.

Michael groaned and spun around. “Oh, boo-hoo,” he mocked, “Boo-hoo because you didn't fucking get the child you wanted. God damn. _Poor_ you.”

Mr. Jones merely stared at Michael's face for a moment before a smile formed on his face, and Michael realized this night was probably the first night he had seen his father smile this much in so long – and it wasn't even the good kind of smiling.

Michael gasped as his father cupped his face with one hand, using, what felt to be, his whole strength.

“Things would have been so much better if you were just straight,” Mr. Jones growled, “What is so hard about being straight? What was so appealing about that man you _fell_ in love with?” He then laughed slightly at the thought. “Is he still with you? Or did he get tired of you, too?”

Michael snarled at him and grabbed the hand that was holding his face so tightly. “You shut up because you don't know anything,” he snapped.

“And I don't WANT TO know _anything_ about you!” Mr. Jones shouted, making Michael flinch. The man let go of Michael's face, but he raised that same hand in the air, and Michael went to shield himself, though he wasn't fast enough.

His glasses were knocked right off his face with the contact Mr. Jones' hand had with the side of his face; he didn't even see where they landed. He found himself almost losing his balance, but he managed to catch it with the wall behind him, and when he did, the sing in his cheek became noticeable to him. It was unbearable, too, enough to make Michael cry out a bit. He reached his hand up to gently touch it, hissing through his teeth at how sensitive it was, but his eyes widened when he felt liquid.

Pulling his hand away, he could see the tips of two of his fingers covered in fresh blood.

_Oh my god._

Michael swallowed hard as he slowly looked at his father again who was covering his mouth in an attempt to stop laughing.

“Did you...” Michael looked down at his fingers again. He could see how his hand was beginning to tremble, but he ignored the fear he felt and faced his father again.

“What did I tell you?” Mr. Jones asked through his obnoxious laughter. “Little baby.”

Michael wiped his hand on his shirt. His eyes were starting to burn, and he didn't care whether or not he would start to cry. He stomped forward, wanting nothing but to seem at least a bit intimidating. He could feel the blood from the scratch on his cheek trickle down his face and it only fueled the anger he had towards his father.

But then his father began to stomp closer to him as well, and Michael felt himself still. He saw Mr. Jones raise his hand again and this time, Michael did shield himself, but he hadn't expected the man to grab his hair instead.

“Ow, fuck!” Michael shouted as he started to be dragged into the living room. “Let me go! You son of a bitch! STOP!” The last word had been loud and choked as he realized that the blood wasn't the only thing running down his face now.

His breathing had picked up, too, from how terrified he was of the situation. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. He was only supposed to say what he had wanted to say and go back home as if nothing had happened.

But here he was – being yanked by his hair by the very man that he was unfortunate enough to be related to.

“No!” Michael cried. “Please! D-dad, stop!” Mr. Jones pulled Michael down until Michael was on his knees and Michael screamed out from how painful the grip on his hair was.

“I hope you know, Michael,” Mr. Jones said, though Michael could hardly hear him through his own cries, “You'll never be nothing. Not anymore. You had such a good future ahead of you, but you decided to THROW THAT ALL AWAY! FOR ANOTHER MAN!”

“No!” Michael screamed at him. “It wasn't for Gavin! I did it for ME!” He gasped for air before continuing on, “ _I_ had to get away from this crap home that you called a life. This wasn't,” he sniffled and tried not to breakdown. He had to finish this sentence, “this wasn't a life. NOT FOR ME!” And he covered his face again, waiting for the hit. He knew it was coming.

But then he heard his mother's voice.

“What are you doing to him?!” She sounded horrified.

Michael heard things hit the floor, assuming she had dropped whatever she had been holding. His father's grip on his hair loosened a bit, but it was still there.

“Let go of him!” Mrs. Jones shouted, her voice shaking slightly.

And Mr. Jones did let go. Michael practically curled up in a ball and stared up at his father.

“Teaching him the way to toughen up,” Mr. Jones said to his wife, “He'll never be nothing a child if he doesn't learn.”

“And you think _beating_ and _terrifying_ him is the way to do that?!”

Michael wanted to run out – run as fast as he could back to the Ramseys. But he couldn't move. He could only sit there, his hand pressed against the cheek that was still stinging and bleeding.

Mr. Jones walked away from him and Michael could hear the refrigerator door open.

“Michael,” Mrs. Jones spoke softly.

Michael didn't say anything or dared to look at her until he felt a hand on his shoulder. With the small amount of courage he had, Michael slapped the hand away and jumped up to his feet.

“Don't touch me!” He yelled at her. “Don't you ever fucking touch me!”

Mrs. Jones tried reaching for him, her eyes filled with sincerity, but Michael walked away from her.

“Michael, at least let me clean you up,” Mrs. Jones said, “You're bleeding an awful lot-”  
“Get. The. Fuck. Away. From. Me.” Michael started taking steps backwards, looking over his shoulder often to make sure he wasn't going to run into anything. He shook his head, his vision blurred from his tears again. “I can't believe I came here,” he said, “I can't believe I thought this would be different. I-I ca-can't-” Michael wanted nothing more to breakdown, to allow himself to let it all out, but not around them. He had to hold it in a little longer.

“You two are fucking crazy,” he managed to say, “And I hate you. I HATE BOTH OF YOU!” Behind him, he heard Mr. Jones laugh, but Michael didn't even turn to look at him. He just turned to the door and opened it as fast as he could before running out.

“Michael!” Mrs. Jones called after him. “Michael!” But Michael kept running, promising himself over and over in his mind that he would never look back.

* * *

Running and crying was probably one of the most tiring things. Michael had to stop plenty of times to regain himself. He had to keep it together. He was almost home anyway.

Home.

Where Geoff and Griffon were, the ones who did care for him. And Geoff had told him to promise to not go see his parents. Michael wished he would have just kept that promise. Why didn't he? Why did he have to go to that house again? Why did he think it would end in his favor?

Michael sniffled and took a deep breaths, wiping his eyes every now and so. He heard gasps as he passed by people; probably from the blood, but he didn't care. He just took off running again until he finally got to his house.

Geoff... Griffon... and then Michael's eyes widened. Gavin...

“Gavin,” Michael cried as he barged into the house. “Gavin!” And really, he knew he shouldn't be so loud, but he couldn't help himself.

He felt like he barely had any strength left in him as he climbed the stairs. His head was beginning to hurt from how badly he was crying, but he couldn't stop. He wanted to. He just couldn't. He just wanted to be with Gavin.

“Gavin!” He cried out again as he banged on the guest room's door.

The door flew open but Michael groaned at the sight of Dan.

“Michael?” Dan furrowed his eyebrows, but his expression immediately turned into one of shock when he noticed just how drenched in tears Michael's face was. He also noticed the blood. The... blood? “Oh my god,” he breathed out. “Michael, what happened to you?” Carefully, he grabbed Michael by the wrist and gently pulled him into the room.

“Where-” _hic_ , “Where's Gavin?” Michael asked.

“He left to spend time with Miles,” Dan answered, but he shook his head and leaned closer to examine to the scratch on his face. “Michael, who did that to you?”

Michael hugged himself as his lower lip quivered. “Do you know when he's coming back?”

Dan blinked and shrugged. “I... I honestly don't know,” he said.

Michael looked down as he felt the strong urge to cry out again. “Damnit,” he said under his breath.

Dan was feeling nervous; nervous from not knowing what happened to Michael. “Michael, I don't know what happened,” he said, “But hey, I'm here. I'll listen. I know I'm not Gavin, but I'll listen. Okay?” He gently tried placing his hands on Michael's shoulders, but Michael pushed him away.

“Stop!” Michael shouted.

Dan held up his hands in defense. “Stop what?” He asked, his voice was so calm that Michael could barely stand it.

“Stop being so nice!” Michael said. “Stop being this fucking nice guy, Dan! I wanna hate you but I _can't_!”

Dan took a step back, his eyebrows raising. “What?” He asked. “You want to hate me?”

Michael sniffed, his vision even blurrier now, especially without his glasses, but he nodded.

“Why?” Dan asked.

Michael closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. “Because you have Gavin,” he started to say, “You make him happy. I'm nothing but an ex to him, but I still love him. Maybe even more.” His words were mumbled, but still understandable.

Dan averted his eyes, not even knowing what he could to say to that. It crushed him – to have to look at Michael in this way and hear him say that. “Michael-”

“I've tried to be okay about this,” Michael cried out, “I've tried! But I can't help how angry and jealous I get when I see you two together. I can't stand it, Dan! I can't!”

Dan nodded, yet he said nothing, and he didn't look at Michael either. They merely stood there, the only sounds coming from Michael's soft sobbing. The front door opened and closed, which was followed by Gavin calling out, “Dan!”

Michael pouted. He hadn't to say to Dan what he just said, but it all just came out without his control, and he knew it was best if he just left now before Gavin could see him. He turned to leave, but as he walked out of the room, he ran into the blond.

“Oh,” Gavin laughed, but his smile instantly faded when he noticed Michael crying. Then his eyes fell to the scratch on his cheek. Gavin looked over at Dan with wide eyes and Michael knew what he was thinking.

“It wasn't Dan,” Michael told him.

Gavin closed his mouth and looked at Michael again. He tried cupping Michael's face, but Michael waved him off and stormed towards his bedroom.

“Michael,” Gavin called, and he took a step in that direction, but Dan stopped him by saying,“We need to talk, Gavin.”

Gavin blinked and looked at his boyfriend. “Well I need to see what's wrong with Michael-”

“Gav,” Dan cut him off, and it was the frown on his face that made Gavin hesitate.

Gavin pursed his lip and stayed to listen.

“It's about Michael,” Dan said softly.

Gavin crossed his arms. “What about him?” He asked.

“He loves you.”

Gavin laughed weakly. “I'm pretty sure he loves all of his friends-”

“No, Gav,” Dan interrupted again, “He's _in_ love with you.”

Gavin frowned, uncrossing his arms slowly. “No he isn't,” he said in such a demanding tone.

“He admitted it to me.” Dan sighed and walked up to Gavin. “I like Michael. He's a good person, and I don't blame him for still being crazy about you.”

Gavin just scoffed.

Dan licked his lips, not wanting to say the next part, but he had to. “I have to know... Gav, how do you feel about him?” He was a bit difficult to look the blond in the eye as he waited for the answer.

Gavin just stared at Dan for a moment, trying to figure out if he had heard that question correctly, but not seeing any hint of “I'm not being serious” on Dan's face, Gavin knew he had to answer. “What I feel is that I need to go see him and make sure he's okay,” his voice was stern.

“Gavin... Gavin...” because Gavin wouldn't look at Dan now. “Just talk to me,” Dan pleaded, “Why don't you talk to me?”

“Don't make any assumptions, Dan.”

Dan rubbed his face and sighed quietly. “Then stop giving me reasons to,” he said, but he quickly regretted it when he saw Gavin gaping at him.

“Wait, Gav-” but Dan wasn't able to finish as Gavin took off towards Michael's bedroom.

“Michael?” Gavin gently knocked on the door. “Michael, what happened?” He made sure to keep his voice down, knowing Geoff and Griffon were probably trying to get some peace and quiet.

Gavin only waited a bit before the door open and Michael's arms were wrapped around him and Michael was crying onto Gavin's shoulder. The blond held Michael back, tightly against him.

“What happened?” He whispered into Michael's ear.

Michael took a deep breath, but he didn't pull out of the embrace. “I went to see them, Gav,” he said softly, and Gavin's lips parted from already knowing who 'them' was. “It was the stupidest thing I've ever done. He was drunk. Absolutely, fucking wasted.” Gavin's expression turned into a glare, but he continued to listen, and he even squeezed Michael as he felt a sudden urge of protection come over him. “I didn't know where my mom was, but I guess she was out grocery shopping, and...” Michael took a deep, shaky breath, “I was alone with him. He said... he said that drinking helped him forget that I was who I am.”

“And then he hit you?” Gavin tried not sounding so angry when he asked, but he knew he did anyway.

“He hit me because I told him to go fuck himself,” Michael answered. Without wanting to, he stepped out of the hug and sighed loudly.

Gavin narrowed his eyes as he stared at the scratch. The bleeding had stopped, leaving it looking puffy and red with dried blood surrounding it.

“He won't get away with it,” Gavin said, “I won't let him.”

Michael rolled his eyes. “You're not gonna do anything, Gavin.”

“And why not?”

“Because I'm not gonna let you.”

“He put his hands on you, Michael,” Gavin said, “He left a mark on you. I can't just let that go.”

“Well you're gonna have to.”

“Why?”

“Because I don't want you getting involved-”

“I'm already involved!”

Michael closed his eyes and rubbed them. Shaking his head, he looked at Gavin and said, “No. This is my problem. Not yours. You're not going to do shit.” But when Gavin said nothing, Michael urged on, “Gavin, please. Don't you fucking do anything.”

“Well if I don't, Geoff will.”

Michael blinked, but he knew that was true. Gavin frowned and gently reached his hand up. Michael flinched and Gavin almost stopped, but then Michael relaxed, so the blond began to brush his thumb against the scratch to inspect how deep it was. It wasn't too terrible, but it was still bad. Michael bit down on his lower lip to prevent himself from cringing from the sting of it being touched.

“We should get that cleaned up,” Gavin told him.

Michael nodded, but a figure caught his peripheral vision, and he turned to see Dan watching them. Gavin looked over as well.

Dan shook his head and said, “Gavin... we _need_ to talk.”

Gavin was ready to argue about it, but he decided it'd be best if he didn't. Enough had happened that night already. No more needed to occur.

“Get it cleaned,” Gavin said to Michael, “And get some rest.”

Michael could still feel the throbbing ache in his chest from everything, but he nodded and said he would. Gavin smiled at him before heading over to Dan. Michael watched as the two entered the guest room and how Dan closed the door behind him.

Sleep was the last thing Michael wanted to do. Truthfully, he had not calmed down completely. His hands weren't going to stop shaking anytime soon and the image of his father wouldn't leave him be.

Michael swallowed roughly and walked down the hall to Geoff and Griffon's bedroom. He wondered if they had heard the yelling and just didn't say anything, figuring it was nothing but Michael simply yelling, but either way, Michael hesitated before he finally just slowly rose his fist and began to knock.

 


	13. Thirteen

Michael didn't have to wait long after knocking on Geoff's bedroom before Geoff opened it, seeming to be half awake. He was rubbing his eyes as he mumbled “What?” but as he put his hands down and got a real good look at Michael, he gasped.

“Michael, what the hell happened?” He asked, his fatherly instincts kicking him immediately.

And there it was again, back as quickly as it was the first time; the urge to breakdown. He held it in, though, at least so he could say, “Geoff, remind me to never think people can change.”

Geoff's eyebrows twitched together as he looked over the scratch. “What happened?” He asked again, a more sort of demanding voice, but not in a way to scare Michael – just from feeling overly protective of him.

Michael inhaled sharply and closed his eyes. “You told me not to,” he began, “You made me promise.”

Geoff opened his mouth as he understood now. “Oh, Michael...”

“I'm so sorry,” Michael said as he opened his eyes, watery as they were just moments ago, “I should have just fucking listened to you. I honestly thought that maybe...” he licked his lips, “Maybe I could have gone over there, told them how I felt, told them how I didn't want them just coming back into my life. And I knew that would go one way or another, but I hoped it would have gone the way I secretly wanted it to.” He took a deep, shaky breath, “Where they would take me back and treat me like an actual person.”

Geoff shook his head and walked over to his bed. “I'm calling the fucking cops on them,” he said.

Michael's eyes widened and he ran into the room. “No, Geoff! You can't do that!”

“And tell me why the fuck not?” Geoff grabbed his cell phone but Michael tried reaching for it.

Griffon sat up from being suddenly awoken by the commotion.

“What's going on?” She asked, her voice groggy, but she gasped loudly when she saw Michael's face. “Oh my... Michael.” Michael watched as she quickly got out of bed and went over to him.

“Geoff,” Michael turned to the older man, “You can't get the police in this.”

“They hurt you, Michael!” Geoff shouted at him, the honest frustration in his eyes, “I'm not gonna just let this go and let _them_ get away with this! Let them think they hit their own _god damn_ son around! You're a _person_ , Michael. You're not their fucking chew toy. How do you think I feel right now? I _told_ you not to go talk to them-”

“I know, I know!” Michael shouted back, but Griffon was now at his side, and she held him close, only making it easier for Michael to give into the urge.

“Shh, it's okay,” Griffon cooed as Michael softly cried onto her shoulder.

Geoff sighed deeply and sat down on the edge of his bed, his phone still in his hand.

“Geoff, we can talk about that tomorrow,” Griffon told him, “Right now, let's just be happy Michael's home and okay.”

Geoff shook his head, though. Some of the worst sounds to hear was Michael crying, because of all the pain he knew Michael had in him was just surfacing through those cries, and it wounded Geoff to know all of that.

“I can't,” he said to Griffon, “I can't let them think they got away with this.”

“They won't,” Griffon mouthed to him. “Just stop. Not right now.”

Michael opened his eyes and sniffled, but he didn't let go of Griffon and Griffon made no indication of letting him go either. He was only relieved that Geoff had decided to put the whole 'not letting them get away with it' aside... for now.

Then Michael felt a hand grab his arm and pull him away from Griffon but only to be pulled into Geoff's arms next.

“God damnit, Michael,” Geoff said in a sort of humorous voice, but Michael had heard the slight shake in it.

Michael gave Geoff a gentle squeeze. “I'm sorry, Geoff,” he whispered. “I'm so fucking sorry.”

* * *

 

“I just can't believe this,” Dan said as he paced back and forth in the guest room.

Gavin merely sat on the bed, watching Dan pace, but he had no clue what to even say.

“Maybe it was a mistake that I came,” Dan went on, “Maybe I should have just stayed home. I don't know why I let you convince me to come here with you.”

Gavin shrugged, unsure whether to apologize for inviting Dan to come along or not. And he just wasn't in the mood to have this argument now.

“And I've said this, and I'll say it again,” Dan said, not daring to face Gavin, “Michael is a great guy. Yes, he is, but I really wish...” He furrowed his eyebrows and stopped walking.

Gavin looked up at him. “You wish what?” He asked, his eyes squinting.

Dan bit down on his lower lip, debating whether he should really say it or not, but then he looked at Gavin and just said it, “That he would _back_ off.”

The blond squinted his eyes even more as he stared at Dan. “He's my friend,” he said calmly, as calm as he possibly could.

“Oh really?” Dan asked, his tone clearly showing how annoyed he was. “Is that all he is? Because I don't think so.”

Gavin scoffed at the question and rolled his eyes. He showed no sign of answering to any of that.

“Do you love him back?” Dan decided to ask next.

This was getting much too ridiculous. Gavin jumped up from the bed and threw his hands up. “Dan!”

“God damnit, Gavin,” Dan tried not getting his voice any louder, because there had been too much yelling already for the night, but he almost wasn't able to control it. “I need to know if I'm not wasting my time. I feel like I'm putting all the effort here and you're barely paying any attention to this.”

Gavin practically ignored all of that as he said, “I love _you_ , Dan.” And he walked up to him.

“Do you?” Dan asked, sounding quite defeated. Those three words always were something to hear; something to make his chest swell up, but right now, he couldn't trust the words. “Do you love me the way I love you?”

“Yes!” Gavin's answer was quick, sure, but also had a whiny tone to them.

“I can't be so sure about that, Gav,” Dan told him as he crossed his arms, “I see the way you look at him. You look at him like he's the best thing you've ever seen.”

“No,” Gavin shook his head, “but I love _you_. _You_ were there. _You_ were my comfort. _You_ saved me, and I love _you_ so much for that.”

Dan frowned as he looked at the floor. “But I don't think you're _in_ love with me. I know you've been opening up to him. I've heard you two talk about it. You never opened up to me about how your grandmother's death made you feel.”

“Oh, Christ.” Gavin rolled his eyes and turned away. “Why does that matter anymore?”

“If it didn't matter you wouldn't have told him anything!” Dan's eyebrows furrowed as he saw the clear annoyance on Gavin's face. “I always tried getting you to talk about it, but a few days here and you're spilling the truth to him like it's so easy.”

“I've had time, that's why. And he didn't keep _constantly_ asking me. He let me say it when I wanted to. And I did want to.”

“So he's just that fucking great for you, isn't he?”

Gavin opened his mouth to respond, but he closed it again and merely glared at Dan.

* * *

 

Michael sighed as he walked out of the Ramsey's bedroom. He told them 'goodnight' and headed into the bathroom to finally clean off his face. He damped a towel and gently patted it against his left cheek, hissing softly at the slight sting, but the water was warm and it was also a bit soothing. He was just about done cleaning it off where it just looked like a simple mark, and not a mark with smudged blood all over when he heard a door open and slam.

Looking into the hallway, Michael saw Gavin heading down the stairs and he furrowed his eyebrows. He quickly finished cleaning himself up before hurrying to the staircase to see what was going on with the blond.

“Gav?” Michael asked, taking only a few steps down.

Gavin looked up at Michael and sighed, but he said nothing.

Michael frowned a bit and he tried speaking again, “Gav, I'm sorry.” because apologizing seemed like the best thing to do at the moment.

It only got a glare out of Gavin, though, and the blond bitterly asked, “Why?”

“I feel like this is my fault,” Michael put his hands up, “that your relationship with Dan is...” he squinted his eyes as he thought of the right thing to say, “having _problems_ right now. I'm sorry for hogging you.” He laughed weakly, meaning to cheer Gavin up by saying that last part, but Gavin only raised an eyebrow.

“What are you doing down here?” Michael then asked.

“Well, Dan and I _are_ having problems,” Gavin didn't look at Michael as he talked, “so I'm sleeping on the couch.”

Michael sat down on the step and bit on his lower lip. “Do you need me to get you any blankets or?” He just wanted Gavin to smile at him or something, but none of this was working, and none of it continued to work.

Gavin inhaled sharply and said, “No.”

It was apparent that Michael wasn't going to get anywhere with Gavin, at least not at that moment. Part of him didn't mind anyway. He was still shaken up about what happened to him and wasn't even sure if he could get the sleep he wanted. Sure he was also worried about Gavin and his situation with Dan, but Michael had his own problems to attend to.

Pursing his lips, Michael nodded and stood up.

“Okay, then,” he said, standing there only a few more seconds before heading to his bedroom.

Gavin waited until he heard a door close, indicating Michael was inside his bedroom and out of sight. He took that opportunity to grab a pillow off the couch and toss it across the room in frustration.

How did Dan think it was okay to assume Gavin didn't feel the same way about him? Of course Gavin did. He wouldn't have wasted his time in the first place if he hadn't. He knew how he felt. He did...

Gavin took a deep breath and let it out slowly, because... he didn't.

He really didn't.

The questions, each one Dan had asked him, they kept replaying in his head, and as Gavin also recalled his answers, he wasn't even sure he believed himself. The blond ran his fingers through his hair, feeling angry and tired all at once.

He wasn't quite sure what exactly he was infuriated with the most. Probably at Dan for asking those stupid questions and the stupid argument they just had. Maybe also at Michael for being _Michael_ ; the one who always managed to make his stomach flip without even trying. No, Michael never had to try, because he essentially won Gavin over before they even officially met. 

* * *

 

 

The first day Gavin walked into the high school after finally getting settled with the school and his host parents, he knew how much of an outcast he was. Everyone around him already knew people, they had already made their own friends, they knew the school and classes, (even the freshmen looked like they knew where to go despite the fact that they had only entered that high school a few weeks before), and Gavin was just lost. He wasn't just a new kid from another town or state. He was new from another country, and just temporarily too. 

The counselor had told Gavin that he could drop by his office at any time if he needed assistance, but Gavin actually wanted to figure this out on his own, no matter how many wrong turns he would most likely make. 

Turning the corner to where he remembered his locker was, Gavin's head immediately shot up from staring down at his schedule at the sound of shouting. 

“... I will actually hurt you, Miles, if you don't _let_ go of me!” Gavin could see a boy – russet curly hair and freckles that pretty much covered his entire face in the nicest way – yelling at another (Miles, Gavin assumed) with dark hair and facial hair, not having anywhere of a baby face as the one yelling at him.

Miles had been holding onto the curly haired teen, but he laughed and let go after being yelled at so much.

And Gavin just stood there, staring at the two, particularly the curly haired one. 

“I heard Michael yelling again,” another boy said as he walked up to the two, “What did you do this time, Miles?”

Miles pouted and shook his head. “I just showed Michael how much I love-”

“Fuck off,” the curly haired – well, Michael – said sternly, and Gavin found himself grinning, amused by all of this. 

He was about to walk off, knowing he would come off as creepy if the three caught him staring, but as he took a step, he saw Michael smile at Miles. It was quite impressive, how someone could go from such an angry person to someone who had the smile of an absolute sweetheart. All Gavin saw was dimples and eyes squinting slightly from how much Michael was smiling. It was adorable, but Gavin wanted to look away. He just couldn't get himself to do so. He felt so mesmerized by this guy he didn't even know. 

The bell rang and Michael said his goodbyes to his two friends before walking off. Gavin held his breath as Michael started walking towards him, but Michael paid him no attention, he didn't even notice Gavin standing there and staring at him. Gavin just watched as Michael walked right passed him, seeming focused on where he was going, and he smiled to himself. 

He wasn't the type to develop crushes on people so easily, especially on strangers, but Michael was... he was different, and Gavin wanted to know him. He just didn't know how to approach him without being awkward or random, but he did know one day he would work up some confidence (even if he had to fake the confidence) to talk to  _Michael_ . 

 

* * *

 

Gavin grabbed another pillow, wanting to throw it, but he resisted and just squeezed it instead. This wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to have his feelings for Michael come back. He had expected to come with Dan, to show his old friends what a great man he found (one that had always been there). He knew things would have gotten difficult once he saw Michael, but he hadn't expected for everything to come rushing back to him the moment he laid eyes on Michael again.

But seeing Michael stand there in the break room at work on Monday, hair tousled from probably having headphones thrown on and off throughout that day, well, it had been an oddly beautiful sight that Gavin couldn't look away from. It was just like the first day he ever laid eyes on Michael all over again.

“God damnit,” the Brit said under his breath as he closed his eyes. He could feel tears prick at the corners of his eyes and he shook his head.

“No, no. It's fine,” he told himself. “It's fine.” And with a deep breath, he managed to get those tears to stop from even daring to escape.

He looked at the couch with a frown, hating that he had to sleep there now, but with a shrug, he slowly lied himself down on it. It took him a moment, maybe more than a moment, but he finally found a comfortable spot and shut his eyes tightly.

“It's fine,” he repeated to himself one more time before sleep took over.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh man, so yeah, i think there's just four more chapters left. FOUR. wow. I'm gonna miss this series.


	14. Fourteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a lot of Michael and Ray friendship and Joelay, and then Michael and Ray again. Yeah :D

Michael opened his eyes and blinked a few times before reaching his hand over to check his phone – 8:43 AM. A long sigh escaped his mouth as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. He would have probably attempted to sleep a bit more, considering he didn't have to go to work or even do anything, but the urge to use the bathroom had him feeling that he might as well start his day already.

On his way to the bathroom, he paused just as he got to the door and Dan did as well. Michael's eyes widened slightly as he stared at the other man, but Dan made sure to not make any eye contact.

“Go ahead,” he said after a moment as he took a step back.

Despite having to pee pretty badly, Michael shook his head and said, “No, you can go first.”

Dan sighed and took another step back. “No, I insist,” he said, and he sounded like it, too.

“I-” Michael stopped himself and pursed his lips, knowing they could go on with this for too long. And he wasn't about to let that happen. “Dan, I'm so fucking sorry,” he blurted out, “You've been nothing but nice to me – to _everyone_ – and I've been secretly hating you for it this whole time. And I'm sorry for that.”

“That's not the reason you've been secretly hating me,” Dan said, his eyes squinting as he finally looked at Michael. “You told me last night what's been eating at you.”

Oh, yeah, that's right.

“ _Because you have Gavin. You make him happy. I'm nothing but an ex to him, but I still love him. Maybe even more.”_

Michael almost wanted to cringe at the memory, but instead, he smiled apologetically at Dan. Dan shook his head and turned to leave, though Michael spoke up before he could, “Hey, look. My intentions were never to come in between you two-”

“Michael, I don't want to talk about this with you,” Dan bitterly said as he interrupted him, “I just don't. It's early and I'm tired, and I just want to go home. Gavin and I will settle this when we're back home tomorrow. It's fine. I'm not...” He looked away again, “... mad at you.” But there it was, the hesitation in his voice, and now it was Michael's turn to look down.

Dan didn't say any more as he walked off. Michael heard a door open and close and he looked up to find that he was the only one in the hallway.

He went into the bathroom and took a deep breath, because he never thought he could ever find himself in this sort of situation. His life wasn't a drama, but it was sure beginning to feel like one, and that was a bit unnecessary.

After finishing up in there, he remembered that Gavin had slept on the couch. Michael went ahead and walked to the staircase, but he didn't step down. He just stood at the top and looked at Gavin sleeping peacefully on the couch; curled up and mouth opened just a little.

The sight did make Michael smile, but it hardly lasted when he realized... he couldn't talk to Gavin. He couldn't do that to Dan. Dan was already upset enough and Michael interfering into their business even further wasn't going to help anyone. Okay, so maybe it was going to be the last day Gavin was going to be there and maybe it would be a long time until the blond came back (if he ever decided on visiting again), but Michael tried not to care.

He headed back to his bedroom and grabbed his phone.

> Michael: Hey, is it cool if I come over?

The text message sent and Michael sent the phone back on his nightstand since he didn't expect a reply for another few hours, which was fine. He lied back down on his bed and stared up at his ceiling.

“I hate Gavin,” he mumbled to himself, a scowl on his face.

And with that, he allowed himself to close his eyes, not expecting to actually fall asleep. He merely wanted to relax as he waited for a reply, but when the loud vibration occurred next to him, Michael found himself struggling to open his eyes. But he managed to do so, along with grabbing his phone again and checking it to find that around two hours had passed.

> Ray – June 21, 2015 11:04 AM: Yeah sure. Come by anytime you want.

Michael smiled at the message and practically jumped out of bed. He got himself ready and was able to hear loud chatter going on downstairs when he stepped out of his room. He went into the bathroom again, but only to quickly check on how the scratch was looking. It wasn't too bad, but he knew Ray was going to ask and want an explanation. He would risk it, though, because he wasn't in the mood to be home with Gavin and Dan around.

Downstairs, Geoff was in the kitchen with Griffon as they prepared lunch (as it appeared) but Gavin nor Dan were in sight.

Michael looked around more, to see if he could catch a glimpse of one of them. He didn't want to ask where they were, but seriously, where the hell were they? He looked up at the staircase and figured they must be in the guest room, talking or something.

Geoff turned around and smiled when he noticed Michael. “Hungry?” He asked.

Michael turned to him and slowly shook his head. “Uh... I sort of am, but I think I'll just pick up something on my way to Ray's. He's probably hungry, too, and he hates cooking so yeah, I'll just...” becoming at a loss for words, Michael simply started heading towards the front door.

“Alright,” Geoff nodded, “more for us, then.”

Michael smiled softly at him. He started to hear footsteps coming down the stairs and he opened the door. “I'll see you two later,” he quickly said before walking out.

Dan entered the kitchen and furrowed his eyebrows at the door. “Was that Michael?” He asked.

Griffon nodded. “Yeah, he's going out,” she told him.

“Ah, well...” Dan looked around and put his hands up, “Where's Gav?”

Geoff gestured towards the backdoor. “Outside,” he answered, but he studied the expression on Dan's face before he asked, “You okay?”

Dan raised his eyebrows. “I'm fine,” he said. “I think I'll just go join Gav outside and see what he's up to.”

“Have fun,” Griffon said as she turned back to what she and Geoff were making.

Geoff watched Dan as the Brit walked to the door and then he looked back at the front door where Michael had left.

“I didn't want to talk about this last night, but I know you and I both heard Michael screaming at Dan before he came to talk to us,” Geoff said to Griffon.

Griffon sighed quietly. “Well, I was slowly falling asleep, but yeah I did hear some yelling.”

“Speaking of last night-”

“Geoff...” Griffon turned around and crossed her arms as she looked at her husband.

Geoff also returned her gaze. “How can I let it go, Griffon? How do you expect me to not be angry about this man who's supposed to be a father hurt the one who's supposed to be his son?”

“I'm angry, too,” Griffon said to him, “I've never seen Michael so destroyed before, but what are we supposed to do? Call the police and hope they'll take care of it?” Geoff just sighed so Griffon went on, “They don't know exactly what's going on, or what did go on when Michael still lived with his parents. Who knows what they'll actually do, and I honestly don't want to find out.”

“So we're supposed to take care of this ourselves?” Geoff asked her. “I mean, I have no problem kicking that asshole in the face, but-”

“Geoff, I don't mean violence,” Griffon told him.

Geoff huffed and raised an eyebrow. “But I want to kick him in the face. Repeatedly. He hurt Michael, and that wasn't the only time he's ever hurt Michael in some way. I'll hurt anyone who hurts Michael.”

The corners of Griffon's lips rose. “Maybe you should go hurt Gavin, too, then.”

Geoff pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “Oh, Gavin... yeah. I'll... need to have a talk with him later.”

“The thing is, Geoff,” Griffon said as she stepped closer to him, “I think I know exactly what we should do, and it does involve going over to that house and talking to him.”

Geoff wasn't quite sure what his wife was thinking, but he trusted her, so he nodded and they dropped that discussion in the meantime as they finished up cooking.

* * *

 

“Welcome to my- holy shit, Michael!” Ray's cheerful voice immediately changed to horror when he saw Michael. He even seemed to jump back. “Did you get in a fight with a cat or did you scratch your face by doing something stupid?”

“Why would it be stupid?” Michael asked.

“How else would someone get a scratch that looks like that-” Ray pointed to Michael's cheek, “if they weren't doing something stupid?”

Michael sighed and nodded. “Yeah, alright. First of all, can I come in?”

Ray stepped aside and Michael entered the place before Ray closed the door.

“So did you... go over to Lindsay's and her cat just finally decided to show off his hatred for you?” Ray asked, and he was smiling, obviously having no clue how serious this was, so Michael didn't know how to say it.

“Yeah, fuck that cat,” Michael murmured.

Ray laughed, though when he saw Michael wasn't even smiling, he frowned.

“No, seriously,” he spoke, “What happened? Was it just some freak accident or?”

Michael looked down at his feet as he nodded. “Yeah, something like that.”

“Alright, you don't have to tell me, but you're kind of worrying me. Just a little.”

Now Michael smiled and faced Ray again. “Thanks,” he said.

Ray grinned at him.

“Look, I'll tel you,” Michael said, “but you have to promise me you're not gonna overreact. Okay?”

“Uh... yeah, I won't.”

“Okay.” Michael took a deep breath and said, “Fuck... well, my dad... he was drunk... and-” He couldn't face Ray when saying this, so he turned away, “he... he hit me.” There was silence; silence that was quite unbearable, so Michael forced himself to look at Ray.

“Wait,” Ray finally said something, and he walked over to Michael. “Why the fuck did you go see your dad?”

“It was a mistake,” Michael explained, “one I'll _never_ make again.”

“Michael, you could have told me. I would have went with you.”

Michael rubbed his face and groaned. “Just let that part go,” his words were muffled.

“No, he's an asshole.”

“I _know_ that.” Michael threw his hands up.

“Then at least answer my question. Why did you go see him?”

“Because he's _my_ dad, Ray. I thought things could be different this time.”

Ray opened his mouth, ready to say more, and he had a concerning look on his face, but then he sighed in defeat. He could understand that. He could definitely understand why Michael would want to give his own dad a second chance, but some people are undeserving of one. Michael's dad... he's one of those people.

“So that's why you have that scratch?” Ray asked instead.

Michael nodded slowly.

“God damnit,” Ray mumbled under his breath.

“Like I said, he was drunk,” Michael told him, “fucking drunk off his ass.”

“Did you tell Geoff?”

“I did. He wanted to do something about it last night, but he didn't mention it to me before I left-

“Knowing Geoff, that fucker better be afraid.”

Michael sighed through his nose and shrugged. “I don't want to talk about this anymore. I came here so I wouldn't have to think about that or Gavin.”

“Gavin?” Ray raised an eyebrow. “What happened with Gavin?”

“Everything that could possibly go wrong with Gavin happened, but again, I don't want to talk about it. I want a distraction.”

Ray nodded. “Fine. Let's play some games. How does that sound?” He asked as he started heading towards his living room.

Michael followed, smiling slowly again, “Yeah, that sounds perfect.” He sat down as Ray got everything set up and handed him a controller.

Once they were both sitting and ready to play, Ray turned on the TV and they got comfortable as the game started. They stayed like that, playing the game with Michael yelling at Ray every time Ray tried leaving him behind. And Ray would laugh and continue to do so to piss off Michael.

When they hit a part in the game where nothing much was actually happening, Michael turned to Ray, a mischievous smile forming on his face because he remembered something.

“So, how was the movies with Joel?” He asked, and he turned away before Ray could glare at him.

Ray was going to say something along the lines of 'It was no big deal', but as his mind went back to the events of what happened, he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

Michael could see that smile from the corner of his eye. “Good, I'm assuming?” He asked, barely glancing at Ray.

Ray hesitated a bit, but his smile widened.

 

* * *

 

When the door bell rang, Ray hopped up from his couch, but he halted in his tracks midway to the front door. He didn't want to seem eager, or like he had been _waiting_ for Joel to arrive, but the thing was, he had been waiting. After he got everything that needed to be done finished and out of the way, there was still four hours before Joel was supposed to come over. 

“It's cool,” Ray had told himself, “I can do so much more while I wait.” But he tried that. He tried playing a few games that he needed to finish gaining achievements in, but he surprisingly grew so bored of that quickly. He considered taking a walk, but walking around his neighborhood was the last thing he wanted to do. 

So he sat, and lied down, and sat up, then lied back, closed his eyes in hopes of taking a little nap, but he just found himself feeling too antsy for sleep. 

Why was he even anxious at all? He was just going to go see a movie with a  _friend_ . Not just any friend, though... it was with  _Joel._

He huffed and started flipping through channels until he found that Bob's Burgers was on, much to his relief, and he sat back to watch. 

He got done with five episodes when that door bell had rung, and now he was purposely slowly walking up to the door. 

“Hey,” he greeted, sounding casual. 

Joel smiled at him. “Ready to go?” 

_I've been ready,_ Ray thought to himself, but he nodded and slightly smiled as he stepped out of his home. 

The car ride to the movie wasn't quiet at all. In fact, Ray felt much more comfortable and at peace than he thought he would. He felt as though he was just with one of his close friends, but also in a different way, and he wasn't sure if it was good or bad. 

“Are you one of those people who hate when passengers turn on the radio and choose the music they want to listen to?” Ray asked Joel.

Joel glanced over at him, a sort of death glare on his face that made Ray laugh.

“I'm kidding,” Ray said, “I actually don't feel like listening to any music. I just wanted to see your reaction.”

“Did my reaction suffice?”

“Much more than that.”

Joel smiled, but he didn't look at Ray as he did. Ray stared at him, just watched how the dimples appeared slightly on his cheeks. When he realized how much he was staring, though, he shook his head and looked out the window instead. He hoped Joel hadn't noticed, or that he didn't mind it, but it was still creepy and unnecessary. Ray mentally scolded himself for it. 

They reached the movie theater and Ray waited until Joel was parked before he unbuckled his seat belt.

“I had a movie in mind,” Joel said as Ray reached for the car door's handle. “But if you want to watch something else, let me know and _maybe_ I'll consider it.” The smile on his face indicated that no, he wouldn't even consider it because he had a movie in mind and he wanted to watch that and that movie only.

Ray honestly didn't care. He and Joel stepped out of the car and walked over to get in line. His eyes scanned the list of movies currently playing, and none of them even appealed to his interest, except for the one Joel wanted to see, and for that, he was grateful.

“At least it looks like you might have some good taste in movies,” Ray told him as they moved up in the line.

Joel furrowed his eyebrows and looked at him. “ _Might_ ? Ray, there's no 'might' about it. I  _do_ know good movies.”

“Okay, well if this sucks, I'm gonna...” Ray paused to think of the right thing to say, but in the meantime, Joel was laughing a little. 

“You're not going to do anything,” he said to Ray. “You can't even come up with anything you could possibly do.”

“Yeah I can't _right_ now,” Ray said, “but you know, in the moment, perfect ideas just come to me. You'll see. Well, you won't have to if this movie isn't boring.”

“Either way, I'm not afraid.”

“Why not? I can be intimidating.”

At that, Joel looked Ray up and down and raised an eyebrow. 

“Oh... yeah, sure,” he said with a nod. “Terrifying.”

Ray was going to defend himself, but they were next in line. He started to get his money out of his wallet as Joel asked for two tickets to the movie. 

“That will be eighteen dollars,” the ticket seller said as he smiled at the two. 

Ray was beginning to count enough money for his half when Joel held up his hand and asked, “What the heck are you doing?”

Ray stopped counting to look at Joel with a baffled expression. “Uh, paying for my ticket?” What else did it look like he was doing? 

“No, you're not,” Joel told him as he took out his own money and Ray sighed.

“You're not gonna pay for me,” he said. “I can handle this. It's only nine-”

“I don't care if it was a dollar, I'm still paying. Don't worry. Now put that away and let me handle this.”

Ray raised his eyebrows and saw how the employee laughed to himself a little. 

“Well, alright,” Ray said as he crossed his arms, although he didn't get why Joel was so determined to pay for the damn tickets.

They went ahead inside and bought a few snacks, which Joel also paid for, but Ray was done arguing about it. He just mentally told himself he would pay for everything on their next da-... the next time they hung out. 

The theater was half full by the time they got in there. They picked seats near the middle and were happy their row was empty, though it didn't stay that way as a whole family walked in and decided to sit in that same row. Ray and Joel had to squeeze in to allow the kids to walk through, because some kids were careless and didn't care if they bumped into people on their way to their seats. 

“Pardon us,” the mother said as she smiled innocently at the two. “I'm sorry if they stepped on your feet.”

“No problem,” Joel said to her, “They're...” he looked at the kids and squinted his eyes a bit, but then he smiled back at the mother, “Oh, they're adorable.” His smile was so forced that Ray had to hold back a laugh. 

They ended up smiling at each other to resist the urge and then turned their attention towards the screen. 

Ray held the bucket of popcorn as Joel held the little plate of nachos they had gotten, but it seemed like he was going to finish it all before the previews were even over. Ray found himself mindlessly eating the popcorn, getting a bit into some of the previews. Joel looked over at him and smiled softly. When he reached over to grab some popcorn, he brushed Ray's hand, causing Ray to jump and gain his focus on everything around him again.

“Relax,” Joel said. “I just wanted some popcorn.”

“Oh, uh...” Ray swallowed the lump in his throat and just handed the entire bucket to Joel. “Here, have it, and let me get some of those nachos before you leave none for me,” he made sure his voice was a whisper so he wouldn't annoy anyone around them.

Joel looked down at the plate and smiled before handing it to Ray. “I was going to make sure you would get some.”

“Yeah, uh huh. That's why there's only like five chips left and barely any cheese.”

Joel licked his lips as he tried to think of something to say, but words failed and he just shrugged. “Oops.”

Ray rolled his eyes, but he couldn't shake the warm feeling that was building up in his stomach. What was up with that? He shook his head and tried ignoring it as the movie finally started. Picking up a chip, he realized he wasn't even hungry for it anymore. He took a deep breath and cursed at the stupid tingles inside of him. 

The movie had been interesting, but there were parts where Ray didn't remember happening, because he would find something else interesting to look at – Joel. Joel had the look of awe on his face the entire time, his jaw dropping more and more as the movie progressed, and Ray could no longer ignore any of the warmth in his stomach as he continued to stare. Yeah it was weird and he admitted that to himself, but there was something about Joel that made it hard to want to pay attention to the movie instead. 

Joel was too distracted to notice Ray, anyway, but by the time the movie ended, Joel looked at Ray and was surprised to find Ray already looking at him.

“What did ya think?” Joel asked. “Or do I have to pretend like I'm scared for my life?”

Ray blinked and tilted his head slightly. “Wait, what?”

“Remember?” Joel raised his eyebrows. “You said if the movie sucked you were going to... well, you didn't say what you would do, but you said in the moment-”

“Oh!” Ray laughed and shook his head. “No, that was a decent movie. You're okay for now.”

“For now?” 

“Yeah.”

Joel was smiling now, that happy yet mysterious smile. “Does that mean I get more chances to fail?”

Ray scoffed. “You want to fail?”

“No,” Joel shook his head, “But I'm just wondering if there will be more times that we get to spend together?”

Ray felt his heart do a bit of a jump at those words, and he looked away as he smiled nervously.  _Nervously_ ... because he was suddenly feeling nervous. 

“Uh, sure?” He asked. “If you want to. I don't mind hanging out with you.”

“Good,” Joel said, his smile widening, “Because I sure don't mind either.”

 

* * *

 

“And then he drove me home and that was that,” Ray finished his story, the game long abandoned. Michael said nothing so Ray turned to him and found Michael grinning. “What?” He asked.

“That's it?” Michael asked.

Ray nodded.

“No, bullshit, something more happened. You were fucking blushing the whole time you were talking!”

Ray shook his head, furrowing his eyebrows. “No. It was... it was fun and all. Oh, well, he actually also told me to thank you.”

Michael blinked. “Thank _me_?” He pointed to himself.

“Yeah,” Ray nodded. “He said, 'Oh and thank Michael for me next time you talk to him.' I was going to ask him why, but I decided it was none of my business, but really, why?”

Michael smiled again, because he knew exactly why, but he wasn't going to tell Ray that. “I guess for letting him borrow my headphones on Friday for a while because he couldn't find his.”

Ray didn't seem to quite believe that, but he shrugged and picked up his controller again. “So do you want to play some more or just watch something on Netflix?”

Michael frowned slowly. “We can just watch something. I think my game mode is off already.”

“Yeah, mine too.” Ray got up and grabbed the controllers to put them away as Michael sat back. Ray looked over at him and sighed. “Okay, what's wrong?”

“What?” Michael asked, looking at Ray as if he was crazy.

“You look so down now. What happened? Are you disappointed that nothing happened between my _friend_ and me.”

“First of all, you and Joel are not just friends,” Michael said, “Well, at least you two shouldn't be. Come on now.” Ray merely smirked as he shook his head. “Second of all,” Michael went on, but then he paused and he sat up. 

“Ray,” his voice was quiet as he spoke now, “What am I gonna about Gavin?” He didn't want to talk about this. He didn't, but now it felt as though if he didn't, he would drive himself mad on the inside. “Do I just let him leave?” He asked as he looked up at Ray again. “I'm so fucking in love with him. I don't want to just say 'goodbye'. Not again.”

Ray frowned as he walked back over and sat down. “What do you feel is the right thing to do?”

Michael groaned and let himself fall back further into the couch. “Get the fuck out of his life because he's in a relationship and what we had ended the moment he left last year. I can't keep living in the past.”

Ray could see how difficult it was for Michael to even say that, and really, he had no idea how to respond, so instead, he said, “Alright, well... come here,” Ray gestured Michael to come in for a hug. “You need one.”

Michael raised an eyebrow as he looked at Ray. He shook his head, trying to scoot away as Ray leaned in.

“No, no, just come here,” Ray said, biting back a laugh. “Come on, Michael.”

“Ray, no, I'm fine. Ray!” But Ray practically jumped on top of Michael and wrapped his arms around him.

Michael pretended to be horrified by the hug, but his laughter took over and it wasn't long until he was returning the hug.

“Thank you,” he said through his laughs.

Ray smiled and patted Michael's back. “You're welcome, man.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was mainly to step away from all the sad haha just for a bit, though. The next chapter goes back to sad, or a bit sad. Depending on how you look at it, really. Lol. Anyway, I want to take this time and thank everyone who has been reading this!!


	15. Fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like "Stay" by Safetysuit really fits this chapter, especially the end of it.

As much as Michael dreaded it, he knew he had to go home eventually. After watching a few episodes of different shows, Michael got up from Ray's couch and sighed.

“I'll talk to you tomorrow at work,” he said.

Ray smiled slightly and stood up as well to walk his best friend to the door.

“You can stay over tonight if you really want to,” Ray reminded Michael, but Michael shook his head.

“I can't just run away from my problems.”

Ray nodded. “Alright, well... take care. See you tomorrow.”

With that, Michael stepped out and listened as the door closed behind him. He merely stood there a moment, though, taking a deep breath. He couldn't avoid everything that was happening at home. Well, maybe he could. He could stay at Ray's and go to work with Ray and come home to find Gavin and Dan gone. But did he want that? No, not really.

So exhaled and started heading on his way.

By the time Michael was back at the house, it was around six PM, and he was glad of that. It meant the day would be over soon enough. He just needed to get through for at least four more hours. He could handle it, but walking through the front door and being met with Gavin sitting in the kitchen, munching on what looked to be a few cookies, he froze.

Gavin turned his head to face him, swallowing the piece of cookie in his mouth before he asked, “Where have you been all day?”

Michael swallowed the lump in his throat as he stared at Gavin, and Gavin was staring back, a blank expression on his face.

“I was at Ray's house,” Michael simply answered, clearly sounding as if he didn't even want to talk to Gavin. He didn't wait for Gavin to respond as he hurried on towards the stairs.

Gavin could hear the thudding sounds of Michael running up the steps and he furrowed his eyebrows. What was that all about? There was some hint of attitude in Michael's voice that didn't sit right with Gavin, making him curl his fingers into tight fists to calm himself down. But it was close to being a difficult task when all day he had to deal with everyone giving him that sort of tone. First in the morning with Dan, then at lunch from Geoff, and he could have sworn Griffon turned away from entering the kitchen just half an hour earlier when she saw Gavin was in there, but that could have just been him being paranoid about everyone being mad at him.

Gavin was ready to scream when Geoff walked in, and even though Geoff had given him an attitude earlier, the Brit couldn't help but vent to him, “So Michael just got home and he looked like it was too much for him to even be near me.”

“Oh?” Geoff asked as he looked at Gavin, and Gavin nodded. “Well, he's probably just tired.”

“Is he?” Gavin raised an eyebrow, “From what? He said he was just at Ray's all this time.”

Geoff walked over to the sink and sighed as he placed a cup into it. “Relax, Gavin,” he said.

Gavin practically growled. “No, I can't!” He jumped up just as Geoff turned around to face him, causing Geoff to widen his eyes. “I can't relax,” Gavin went on, “Dan won't talk to me right now, and now Michael's acting like...” He looked around, trying to find the right words, “Like he bloody doesn't... want me here,” Geoff could hear how choked the last words sounded.

“Michael has a lot to deal with right now, Gav,” Geoff told him, “You have to be considerate of that.”

Gavin sighed and sat back down. “His father, I know.” He buried his face in his hands, already regretting his minor freak out there.

“Yeah,” Geoff nodded, “and... well, admittedly, also you.”

Gavin put his hands down and gaped at Geoff. “So he is mad at me?” He asked.

Geoff clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he walked over to the table. “He's not mad at you,” he said as he sat down as well, “He's _hurt_ by you.”

“Hurt?” Gavin twitched his eyebrows together. He didn't get it. Of course he didn't.

Geoff shook his head and began to explain, “Gavin, how would you feel if Michael had gone to England, and you were _so_ excited to see him, and then you see who he brought with him; a new boyfriend?”

Gavin's expression softened. Now he understood, but it still took him a few minutes to say anything.

“I knew it was awkward and not the best idea,” he said, “but he eventually seemed fine with it. He's been seeming fine with it and I thought-”

“I know, Gav,” Geoff cut him off, “But I think he's just been trying to seem okay for your sake.”

Gavin wanted to say something to that, but what was there to say?

“And now,” Geoff went on, “I think he feels bad about what's going on between you and Dan.” Gavin could feel the uncomfortable and unwanted ache in his chest. He bit down on his lower lip and sat back in the chair as he continued to listen to Geoff. “And I know you still have feelings for Michael. But... you can't do this to them, Gavin,” Geoff told him, “You can't mess with Michael's feelings when you're with Dan. If you're going to be with Dan, then be with him. He's a nice guy. I approve,” he smiled a little, though it didn't last. “And you can still be friends with Michael, but just friends. I know you two are mature enough to be friends-”

“I can't be friends with Michael,” Gavin suddenly interrupted.

Geoff was taken aback. He hadn't expected the blond to be opposed to that idea, but he remained quiet and waited for Gavin to go on.

“I can't,” Gavin's voice was quiet, “I can't because I'm... still in love... with him,” and his voice had been getting progressively quieter and quieter the more he talked.

Geoff nodded, his smile appearing for only a second before it was gone again. “I know,” he said softly. “The question is, though...” Gavin looked nervously at him, already know what question was coming, “Are you in love with Dan?”

Gavin wet his lips as he looked down at the table. It wasn't such a difficult question, or at least, it shouldn't have been to him, but it was, and it killed him inside from how much it was. He couldn't even look at Geoff, so instead, he closed his eyes and sighed in defeat.

* * *

 

Michael was lying on his bed. He had thought about getting up and going for a shower, but that felt like so much effort, and he didn't want to do anything that required that. But the knock on his door had him sit up a bit.

“Come in,” he said to whoever it was.

The door opened and Michael smiled when he saw Griffon walk in. He also completely sat up as she walked over and sat down next to him.

“So, did you have fun at Ray's?” She asked him, returning the smile that was still on Michael's face.

“Yeah, it was,” he answered. “It was... exactly what I wanted.”

“Oh yeah? What do you mean by that?”

Michael rubbed his face briefly before facing her again. His smile was barely visible now. “It's been a long week,” he said, “I just needed to get away from everything for a little while, and hanging out with Ray helped. Yeah we still talked about the problems, but overall, I was distracted. I felt happy. I laughed. It just... it was good.”

Griffon crossed her arms as she looked away. There was something she really wanted to talk about with Michael, but she stopped herself from speaking up, figuring it'd be best if Geoff talked to him about it instead.

“I know it's been rough,” she said as she looked at him, “but if anyone can handle all of those challenges, it's you. You've been through some of the worst and have only come out stronger than before.”

The corners of Michael's lips were rising more again. “To be honest, I don't fucking think I'm strong at all. If anything, I'm a weak little piece-”

“Well, see, there's your biggest problem right there,” Griffon said, but Michael raised his eyebrows and waited for her to continue, “That you don't believe in yourself and believe that you can handle pretty much anything.” She stood up, but stayed there in that spot to say something else, “Once you've accepted that, this will all fade into the past.”

Michael really didn't think that was true, but it was nice to hear it come from Griffon. He got up from his bed and wrapped his arms around her as he thanked her. She smiled and returned the hug, both of them jumping a bit at the sound of the doorbell.

“Oh, that's dinner,” she said as they pulled apart. “We're having pizza. Hungry?”

Michael smiled at her. “Yeah, I'll be down soon.”

“Okay,” she nodded before turning around and heading out of there.

Dinner actually did sound like an amzing idea at the moment. Michael looked around his room, his mind wandering back to when it had been Gavin's, but he quickly shook that thought away and walked out to head downstairs.

Geoff paid the pizza delivery guy and Griffon closed the door. Michael saw there were more boxes than they usually order for themselves, so Geoff explained, “Burnie, Matt, and Gus are coming over because we some things to discuss.”

“Oh,” Michael nodded.

Geoff set the boxes on the dining table and Michael went ahead and started grabbing glasses to pour drinks for everyone. Dan walked in and hesitated before joining Michael in helping setting everything up by getting the stack of paper plates. Neither of them said a word as they got the table ready; they didn't even bother making eye contact.

Michael didn't mind. He just wanted to eat and go back to his room to sleep.

Burnie, Matt, and Gus didn't take too long to arrive after that. Gavin entered the kitchen last, taking the last seat available, which was in-between Burnie and Geoff.

“There's a bunch of crap we haven't gone over, and,” Burnie stopped talking to sigh, “I almost feel too tired to talk about it now.”

“It's either now or never,” Matt pointed out, “We can't keep putting this off until we really don't want to do it at all.”

“Yeah,” Burnie agreed. “That's why we're here.” He smiled over at Geoff.

Gavin took a bite of his slice of pizza and asked, “What are you working on?”

“Organizing a few things here and there,” Burnie answered.

Geoff laughed. “So you can see our problem, right?”

Gavin smiled at him.

Gus shook his head and put his slice down. “I have no problem with doing this,” he said, “I had a problem convincing all of you to get working on it.”

“Either way, Gus, it was going to get done,” Burnie told him.

“Yeah,” Geoff nodded, “Eventually.”

“Like next month,” Matt muttered.

“No,” Burnie said to him, shaking his head and scoffing. “We are a _very_ professional company. We get things _done_.”

“Oh, bullshit,” Michael said, and they all laughed, except for Gavin. Even Dan laughed, but Gavin could barely manage a smile. 

He just continued to eat his pizza in silence, being the first one to finish eating, yet he remained seated there, not wanting to be rude and leave. He listened to the conversation between everyone, with Michael occasionally putting in his input, and Dan laughing at any little joke any of them made. It was becoming too much for Gavin to fake his smile at one point, but it didn't matter, since right after the pizza was gone, Matt, Burnie, and Gus got up to leave.

“I didn't expect us to get that much of it done before we finished eating,” Burnie admitted as he headed for the front door. 

“So we continue this tomorrow morning?” Geoff asked.

“Yeah,” Burnie said, “I mean, I would stay, but I have other things to do right now.”

“I'm just exhausted,” Gus said as he opened the door. 

“And I'm done looking at all of that for tonight,” Matt added. 

Geoff grinned at them and waved as they walked out of the house. He waited there until they were in their cars as Michael and Griffon cleaned up in the kitchen. Dan also helped a bit, by cleaning out the trash and empty pizza boxes. Gavin had disappeared out of sight the moment everyone got up from the table, and nobody questioned it, figuring he just went back upstairs. 

Geoff closed the door, shaking his head but smiling. “I work with too many assholes,” he joked.

Michael smiled. He placed the glasses into the sink, not expecting Geoff to walk up to him, so he stiffened when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Now that it's the end of the day,” Geoff said, “I have to tell you something.”

Michael blinked and turned around to look at him. Judging off the serious expression Geoff now were, Michael wasn't sure if he was ready for whatever Geoff had to say.

“Okay,” he said, and he followed Geoff into the living room, leaving Dan and Griffon in the kitchen to finish up the cleaning.

Geoff sat down on the couch and patted the space next to him. Michael reluctantly sat down.

“There's not an easy way to say this, so I'll just say it,” Geoff started, and Michael gulped, “I went over to speak to your dad today.”

Michael's eyes widened. “You _what_?” His voice was stern, but Geoff ignored it.

“I had to,” Geoff said, “I wasn't going to let him-”

“Geoff, what the fuck did you do?” Michael could feel his heart already pounding in his chest. Geoff was fine, so obviously whatever occurred couldn't have been too bad, but still.

“I told him off,” Geoff smiled lopsidedly, but frowned when he saw Michael glaring at him. “I told him that I could have called the cops on him. I mentioned how if I wanted to, I could beat the living shit out of him, to show him how it feels-”

“Stop,” Michael said as he held up his hand. Geoff obliged and looked at Michael. “I just... why? Why would you do that? Geoff, I wanted you and Griffon to stay out of this. It's my problem.”

“Your problems are my problems.”

“No, they fucking aren't!” 

“Yes, they are.”

Michael huffed and rolled his eyes. “How?” He asked. “How the  _fuck_ are they  _possibly_ your problems, too?” 

“Because Michael, maybe you don't understand, but you, to me, are like a son, and I will protect you as much as I can. That means doing anything to make sure you're okay,” Geoff told him.

Michael frowned. “Geoff-”

“Anyway,” Geoff wasn't going to let him talk, “I didn't hurt him. I didn't even lay one finger on him. But I did tell him something that did piss him off. Not enough for him to attack me, but it was enough.”

Michael's throat felt dry, but he swallowed hard and waited for Geoff to say what it was.

“I told him that you were going to file a restraining order against him,” Geoff explained, and Michael's eyes were wide again, “And he told me that I had no right to go to him and tell him that, that if you wanted him to know, you should have went to tell him yourself.”

“What a prick,” Michael mumbled.

“He said a whole lot more, but that's the shortened version,” Geoff said.

Michael ran his fingers through his hair and sighed quietly.

“You won't have to,” Geoff said, making Michael look at him, “You know, file a restraining order if you don't want to, but I think it'd be best if you did.”

“So, this wasn't your way of making me do that?”

Geoff shook his head. “I can't make you do anything you don't want to, but it's a suggestion, one that I make because I care about you.”

Michael smiled, but before he could respond, Geoff was reaching over to the side table next to the couch.

“And I also grabbed these before I left,” he said as he handed Michael something.

Michael breathed out a laugh as he took his glasses from Geoff's hand. “Wow, yeah... kind of needed those.” He looked them over, seeing that they hadn't been damaged at all – luckily.

“Yeah, I figured,” Geoff nodded as he smiled.

“Thanks, Geoff,” Michael said.

“No problem, bud.”

They both stood up and Michael put back on his glasses, smiling more because everything looked so much better with them on. Geoff grinned at him before grabbed his arm and pulling him into an embrace.

“You should know, though,” he spoke as he let go of Michael, “that holding myself back from kicking that fucker's face in was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.”

Michael laughed. “I know,” he said as he regained himself, “So thank you, again.”

Geoff patted his shoulder and headed out of the living room, leaving Michael to stand there with a smile slowly fading.

 

* * *

 

Michael finally got settled into bed at around ten-thirty, relieved about it, too, because he was more tired than he thought. He felt himself unable to easily fall asleep, much to his annoyance, and he was about to give up and maybe go grab a glass of milk when a knock came to his door.

At first, Michael thought he only imagined that, but when he said nothing, another knock came, this one louder than before.

Michael wanted to curl back up and pretend he was asleep, but his curiosity won him over and he was suddenly opening his mouth. “What?” He asked, not even going to act like he was happy about it, because he wasn't.

There was silence, but then the door opened and Michael could see, from the light on in the hallway, that it was Gavin.

“Gavin,” Michael squinted his eyes to see him better.

Gavin turned around and closed the door, standing there afterwards as if he was debating whether to stay or leave. But then he looked at Michael and took a deep breath.

“I know this could have all been avoided,” he started, “I know bringing Dan here was the worst decision I could ever make. I know that. I do, but I don't know why I did it anyway.”

 _Yeah, me neither, you dick_ , Michael thought to himself, though he tried not showing what he was thinking through his expression.

Gavin felt anxious when Michael didn't say anything, so he walked over and sat at the edge of Michael's bed, right near where Michael's feet were under the sheets.

“I didn't expect to feel anything when I saw you,” Gavin said, “But I forgot how incredible you are.” He was smiling softly, so sweetly, that Michael couldn't resist but smile back.

“When I leave tomorrow,” Gavin looked down at his hands, “I don't know if I want to come back for anymore visits.”

Now Michael was frowning, because that was a quick turn of events.

“I don't think I could handle seeing you and having these feelings come right back,” Gavin's voice was almost a whisper at this point.

_Oh._

“Right,” Michael nodded, “Well, I told you before, and I'll tell you again, don't come back for _me_.”

Gavin made a whining noise as he faced Michael. “But I didn't even come back for you this time,” he said.

Michael sighed and shrugged. “Stay at a hotel next time? Or I don't know, at Ray's? Anybody else's house, just not here where we have to see each other _all_ day.”

Gavin crossed his arms. Those were pretty good solutions, but he wished they weren't. The two of them sat in silence, not really looking at each other, but hardly looking at anything else.

Then Gavin's eyes lit up and Michael immediately caught the sight of it.

“You told me that I didn't have to leave on Monday,” Gavin said, making Michael blink in confusion.

“Y-yeah, but you have work and-”

“I can stay if you wanted me to,” Gavin's eyes seemed wide with excitement, and the start of a smile was appearing on his face, “If you told me to, I'd stay.”

Michael furrowed his eyebrows. “What?”

“Michael,” Gavin scooted closer and Michael could see his eyes water, “Tell me to stay, and I'll stay. It's that simple.”

Michael wanted to move away from Gavin, but there wasn't anymore space behind him to do so. He wrinkled up his nose as he said, “Gav, you're with Dan...”

“But _Michael_ ,” Gavin's voice was filled with desperation, like he wanted Michael to say or do something to fix it.

“Well, what the fuck do you want from me?” Michael asked, trying not to sound so loud.

“I want you to tell me to stay.”

“Well, that's not what I want.”

“Then what _do_ you want?”

Michael paused as he thought about it. What did _he_ want? That was honestly not too complicated to answer. “I want to forget what happened with my dad,” he said, “I want to pretend I didn't make that stupid mistake.” He silenced a bit more and then went on, “I want Ray and Joel to stop being idiots and get together already. I want the absolute best things to happen to Geoff and Griffon, because god damnit, if anyone deserves good things, it's them.” He sighed deeply, but he wasn't done yet. He stared at Gavin, long and hard, and said, “I _wanted_ this week to be where you and me reconnected as _friends_. God, Gavin... why the fuck did this happen? It wasn't supposed to be like this. None of it.”

Gavin turned away as he chewed on his lower lip to prevent tears from escaping, but they were practically burning his eyes.

“And you know what,” Michael said, making Gavin hesitantly look him in the eye again, “Maybe it is best for the both of us if you left and never came back.”

Gavin parted his lips, not able to grasp what he had just heard. “You...” he shook his head, “You don't mean that.”

Michael didn't say anything. He merely stayed quiet, because no, he didn't, but he couldn't let Gavin know that.

The tears were up to where they were beginning to blur Gavin's vision. Gavin wasn't able to bring himself to look away from Michael, still in shock of what he had just been told.

Michael telling him to never come back... that was the exact opposite of what he came into his bedroom to hear.

It wasn't possible, but yet, it was.

Michael was done with him. Actually done.

Except that he wasn't, and Michael was mentally cursing himself for even saying that, but he was making no move of letting Gavin know that. Therefore, Gavin ended up inhaling sharply to prevent the ridiculous urge to cry.

“Fine,” he said through clenched teeth as he stood up. “I'll leave, then.”

Michael looked up at Gavin and saw the infuriated look on the Brit's face. It left Michael a bit speechless that all he was able to say was, “Uh, a-alright then.”

“Maybe I'll even go stay somewhere else for the night so I don't have to see you tomorrow morning,” Gavin told him – the sadness he had felt just moments ago now replaced with anger, and Michael could sense that too.

Michael shrugged, because two were able to play at that game. “Well, you know what? The earlier, the better,” he said, “Saves me from a morning of awkwardness.”

Gavin raised an eyebrow. “Okay, Michael, once I walk out that door,” he pointed to said door, “you'll never see me again.”

This whole ordeal was almost laughable, but Michael held back his laugh and blandly said, “Okay, bye.”

But Gavin paused as he glared at Michael, only making it easy for Michael to really get mad.

“What are you still doing here?” Michael snapped.

“Don't you tell me 'bye', you idiot,” Gavin sternly said.

Michael gaped at him, and now he wasn't going to hold back. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He asked as he jumped up from his bed. “Who the fuck are you calling an 'idiot'?” He curled one of his hands into a fist.

“You call me that all the time and you don't see me getting all angry about it,” the tone in Gavin's voice was covered with such smugness that Michael snarled at him. It didn't help how Gavin kept stepping forward, like he was trying to challenge Michael.

“Because _you're_ the idiot,” Michael said, voice quiet at first, but he didn't care when he yelled out the next part, “Now get the _fuck_ out of my room!” He pushed Gavin away from him and towards the door, though Gavin barely budged, only angering Michael further.

“GO!” Michael shouted, attempting to push him again. “LEAVE!”

Gavin squinted his eyes at Michael, but he did turn away and walk out, purposely slamming the door behind him, but that slam made Michael wince and gasp.

Standing there in the darkness of his own bedroom had it be too easy for Michael's anger to cool right down and instantly hate himself for what just happened between him and Gavin.

“G-Gavin,” Michael whispered, feeling something in his chest clench. “No,” he breathed out, his eyes watering slowly. He sat down on his bed and forced himself to close his mouth.

They had a fight... they actually had a fight. Gavin was supposed to leave the next day and they fought.

Michael closed his eyes as he lied himself down and covered himself with the bedsheets.

Gavin was leaving in the morning... and they fought.

Why was it that they always seemed to fight before Gavin was supposed to leave?

* * *

 

_At this point, Gavin was becoming much too frustrating to handle. Michael curled his fingers into tight fists as he shouted, “Yeah, you didn't!” He took a deep, shaky breath. “You could have just told me instead of letting me fall in love with you even you knew you weren't going to stay!”_

_Gavin's eyes widened as a few words in particular caught his attention. “Y-you're in love with me?” He wanted to smile and say that he loved Michael just as much, possibly more, but Michael didn't give him the chance._

“ _Fuck off!” Michael's voice practically cracked, and he turned on his heel as he stormed off._

_Gavin gasped and felt frozen in place. “Michael... Michael!” He called out before taking off after him. “I'll still keep in contact with you! We'll talk everyday! I promise!” He had slowed his pace, clearly seeing that Michael wasn't going to stop._

“ _No!” Michael shouted back. “I don't want to fucking talk to you right now! Leave me alone!”_

“ _But Michael!”_

“ _Shut the fuck up, Gavin!” Michael screamed, causing people nearby to turn and look to see what was happening. Michael paid them no attention and he also didn't stop walking away despite the fact that he could still hear Gavin calling after him._

“ _Just leave me alone!” Michael cried out as he took off his glasses to wipe his eyes. Half of him hoped Gavin was still following him, still coming for him, to fight for him, but when things suddenly sounded too quiet and he was already a long walk away, Michael knew Gavin had stopped. And that only increased the pain._

 


	16. Sixteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a short chapter, that's why I had it done and posted so quickly. Sorry that it's short, but it's just to show some things before the ending.

As soon as he had slammed that door, Gavin wanted to reopen it. He wanted to run back inside of Michael's bedroom and apologize, over and over, even if two words couldn't fix everything, he wanted to say them until he was too tired to say it anymore. But he had been a lot of that lately, hadn't he?

Gavin sighed in frustration and tried listening in on Michael by standing as close as he could to the door. He couldn't hear anything going on in the other side. Michael wasn't yelling, throwing stuff, or... anything. It's what made Gavin's urge to burst back in there increase, but he resisted. It was the part of him that was still angry that dragged his feet towards the guest room.

He walked inside, seeing Dan deep in his sleep, but he ignored him as he walked over to his suitcase and opened it up. The clothes he had worn throughout the week were basically scattered everywhere on the floor, and he groaned as he started to pick them all up. He would just slam them into the suitcase, not caring how stacked up they became, but it did aggravate him when he had to stuff them in so everything could fit inside.

All that noise of mumbled curses and moving around was finally enough to wake Dan. He opened his eyes and could barely make up the figure in the room. Gavin hadn't turned on the bedroom light. He was only using the light from the hallway to see, and Dan was a bit grateful for that, that way his eyes wouldn't sting by the light hitting them as he tried to get them to adjust to waking up.

“What's going on?” He asked, voice showing how groggy and half awake he was. He could only see Gavin moving back and forth, but that's about it.

“I don't know about you,” Gavin said as he started to zip up the the suitcase, “but I'm leaving.”

At that, Dan widened his eyes like it was no problem anymore to do so and he sat up. He had to be hearing things, right? Or was it already morning? He checked his phone, but no, it barely going to be eleven on that same Sunday night. “You're... what?” He asked.

“I'll be staying at Chris' for the night,” Gavin explained, “because I do not want to be in this house anymore.”

Dan furrowed his eyebrows, never feeling as confused as he did now. He shook his head and watched as the blond picked up his suitcase and headed to the door. “Gav, wait-”

“Bye,” Gavin simply said, but before he could walk out, Dan jumped out of the bed and jolted to the door first.

“Gavin, can you talk to me?” He asked. “Please? What is going on? I need some sort of answer. You're acting like a mad person. I know nothing has gone in your favor these past days, but what is happening now?”

Gavin huffed, wanting to push through Dan, but he had to admit, Dan was much bigger than him and could probably tackle him down if Dan wanted to.

“I had an argument with Michael,” Gavin confessed, putting the suitcase down and rubbing his temple with his fingers. “I ruined things with him, again. I ruin relationships _quite_ well. Just look at ours.”

Dan's face expression softened and he sighed. “Oh, Gav...”

Gavin scoffed and made that attempt to push through Dan, but Dan held him back.

“Dan, move,” Gavin said as he narrowed his eyes at his boyfriend.

“No,” Dan shook his head, “No. Gavin, I'm not letting you leave here if you're going to let things with Michael end this way.”

Gavin rolled his eyes. “Dan, I'm sorry,” he then said, “I'm sorry for putting you through all of this. I... I didn't... mean to.”

“Don't apologize to me,” Dan told him, “Gav, I know you'll hate yourself if you leave without saying anything more to Michael. I know what he means to you.”

“I'll forget about him,” Gavin shrugged, “I went a year without him and I was fine.”

Dan raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms. “Are you sure about that? I spent that year with you and even though you probably only mentioned him five times to me, I could tell every time he came to mind. You would get quiet and distracted, lost in the memories of him.”

Gavin threw his hands up. “Why are we even bothering with talking about him?” He asked. “We should talk about _us_ , you and me.” He pointed to Dan and then himself.

“Us?” Dan sighed. “Was there ever really an 'us'? In the romantic sense? We were great at being best friends, but... you love Michael,” as much as it sucked to say that, Dan knew it was true. “He makes you happy. Gavin, I just want you to be happy, and if Michael makes you happy, then I'm happy.” Because that was also more than true.

Gavin blinked. He went over exactly what Dan had just said before he realized what he meant.

_Oh..._

“Is this your way of breaking up with me?” He asked, forcing himself to look Dan in the eye.

Dan licked his lips, nervous to answer that, but he wanted to. “Yes,” he said quietly.

“Dan...” Gavin sounded weak, like he had given up. He didn't sound angry or sad. He just sounded... defeated, and tired.

“Don't let it end like this with him,” Dan said as he place his hands on Gavin's shoulders, “If it doesn't work out, well at least you can say you did all you could. And I'll be here for you, as your best friend. Your B.” Dan smiled at him, “Like always.”

Gavin swallowed roughly, not knowing how to respond or what to even think about that. What was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to do? Go running back to Michael and... _fix_ everything? He couldn't fix this. There was probably no way to really make it better.

So he shook his head and grabbed his suitcase, and Dan moved aside, not stopping Gavin from walking out of there. At first he really did think Gavin was going to go to Michael, but when he heard footsteps going down the stairs, he sighed.

And then there was that front door, opening and closing, but slowly and quietly, yet Dan heard it.

But it was official.

Gavin was gone.

Dan knew he would run into him at the airport – of course he would, they shared the same flight, but Gavin was officially gone for Michael, and that just didn't sit right with Dan.

“Damnit, Gavin,” he said under his breath.

 

* * *

 

“Rise and shine, Michael!” Geoff's voice rang through Michael's ears in a way that made Michael cringe and groan as he slowly wake up.

“What?” He asked in grumbled voice. “Go away.”

Geoff laughed and stepped away from Michael's side. He glanced at him over his shoulder to see Michael struggling to go back to sleep, but it was clear that was worthless. With a smile, Geoff left his room and sauntered over to the guest room.

“Dan?” He knocked on the door. “Gavin? Come on, you two, wake up. You don't want to miss your plane, do ya?”

Geoff was going to walk off and not bother to wait for them to open the door, but then the door did open and Geoff's smile faded when he saw Dan step out, looking like a mess.

“Uh, ready for your flight?” Geoff hesitantly asked, giving Dan a sympathetic look. _Must have had a shitty sleep_ , he thought to himself.

Dan took a deep breath and shrugged. “I... yeah, I'm ready. I have everything packed and cleaned up,” he gestured towards the inside of the room.

Geoff walked closer and peeked inside to see an almost spotless room. The corners of his lips rose again as he looked at Dan.

“You didn't have to clean up,” he said.

“I felt it was the least I could do.”

Geoff nodded, but his smile once again left as he peeked into the room again. “Wait,” he said, “Where's Gavin?”

Dan frowned. “He... uh, he left.”

“What?!” Geoff and Michael both asked simultaneously, but Geoff raised his eyebrows at the sound of Michael's voice and he and Dan looked over to see Michael standing in the middle of the hallway.

Michael seemed devastated; sleep deprived and devastated. After Gavin had walked out of his room the night before and he got back into bed, he didn't even sleep. He wasn't sure when he really fell asleep. He just remembered checking his phone for the time at one point and seeing it was close to five in the morning. Maybe he had dozed off before that, but he couldn't recall that. He just kept opening his eyes to stare at the four walls of his bedroom. He didn't even cry. He wanted to, but the tears wouldn't really come down. He wanted to sleep, but sleep betrayed him.

But now he stood here near Geoff and Dan, without Gavin.

“I didn't think he would actually leave,” Michael said.

Geoff tilted his head a bit. “What do you mean? He said he was going to leave early?” He looked back at Dan for that answer, but Dan was staring at Michael.

Michael was staring back at him, but he sighed and shifted his eyes to look at Geoff. “We kind of had a huge argument last night,” he began, and Geoff faced him as he spoke, “It ended with him saying that he was going to stay somewhere else for the night so he wouldn't have to see me right now.” Michael blinked, feeling how sore his eyes felt from wanting rest, “And I didn't stop him.”

“Wait, so where did he go, exactly?” Geoff asked. “He can't fucking drive. Did he seriously just walk somewhere in the middle of the night?” He looked back and forth from Dan and Michael.

Dan and Michael exchanged looks before Dan said, “I suppose so. I didn't really think of that.”

Geoff rolled his eyes and hurried back to his own room. Michael assumed it was to grab his phone and track Gavin down.

“I should finish up getting ready before I have to leave,” Dan said softly, seeing that he and Michael both didn't know what to say or do now.

Michael nodded and he turned away to go back into his room. Dan watched him for a moment and frowned before he entered the guest room for the last time.

So Gavin had disappeared.

This was all feeling too much like déjà vu that it only made Michael feel more exhausted than he already was. He sat down on his bed and closed his eyes as he rubbed his face. He had the urge to go to Geoff and figure out where Gavin had gone, to go see him and probably punch him in the face or stomach or anywhere else that would really hurt before holding him one more time, because apparently fate hated the idea of them being together.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really excited and a bit nervous for you all to see what happens. I like the way I chose to end this, my best friend also liked the ending I chose. Yeah, she's the only one who knows how it ends and she told me she liked it a lot, so hopefully you all enjoy it as well. I feel like I'm rambling here. 
> 
> Okay, anyway, I'm going to say this now, um, I don't have planned to make another part to this series. I do plan to end the series after this fic ends (unless you count Falling Slowly, but Falling Slowly is just a small side story about Joelay lol), BUT if it's HIGHLY requested that I make another part to the series, I will consider it. So after you read the final chapter whenever I post it, you can decide whether this should have another part or if the ending is a good enough FINAL ending to the series. 
> 
> So I shall shut up now. Thank you for reading this and sticking around. Chapter seventeen will be coming soon.


	17. Seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we go....

Having to sit in a car with Dan was one of the worst things Michael had to endure. It wasn't that Dan's company was terrible, but it was that Dan's company was filled with absolute awkwardness, due to their situations. It didn't help that Geoff also didn't bother to say anything or turn on the radio. They were stuck to sit there in the awful silence that felt as though it was consuming them. Geoff was going to drop off Michael at work, and then go get Gavin before he took him and Dan to the airport.

Michael tried accepting that it was all over while he had been getting ready for work.

It irritated him, and the thought of having to pretend like everything was fine for recordings at work only added to his bad mood. How was he was supposed to sound all dandy? Of course he almost never sounded extremely ecstatic during the recordings, but he knew he would probably sound more miserable than ever.

He mumbled a 'goodbye' and a 'have a safe trip back home' to Dan before he stepped out of the car. He didn't even watch as Geoff drove off. He merely walked right into the building and kept his head down to avoid making eye contact with anyone.

He heard Lindsay tell him good morning, though, to which he struggled to smile and say it back to her. She knew half of what was causing Michael's distress, but she didn't know the whole story, and she chose to keep it that way, for Michael's sake. If he wanted to talk, then he would, and she would leave him be.

Michael walked into the Achievement Hunter office to find Jack and Ray turning their computers on.

“Morning, Michael,” Jack cheerfully said to him.

“Morning, Jack,” Michael quietly said back. “Morning, Ray,” he nodded towards his best friend.

Ray offered him a gentle smile, because unlike Lindsay, he did know the story.

“Hey, Michael,” he said as he patted Michael's arm once Michael was seated in his chair.

Michael put on his headphones and turned on his computer. He could see his reflection on the screen for a moment, and in that moment, he closed his eyes and sighed through his nose. He could easily go for a nice, long nap. He wasn't awake enough to focus, but he was going to attempt his best.

“Anyone know when Geoff will get here?” Ryan asked as he walked into the room.

Michael shrugged a shoulder and mumbled, “Maybe like in half an hour, but it depends on whether he waits for the plane to leave or not.”

Ryan nodded and went ahead to start setting up his little station on the couch since he knew he was going to record with the gang when Geoff returned.

“Don't forget we have to record AHWU,” Jack said as he stood up from his chair.

Michael pursed his lips, but he nodded. Ray offered to take over Geoff's part, much to Michael's relief, because he didn't feel like standing in front of camera and trying not to sound as tired as he was. He was going to help out, but the moment that camera turned on, he found himself getting up and walking out of the room, along with Ryan, but Ryan was hardly ever on the Achievement Hunter Weekly Update videos anyway.

“Are you hungry?” Ryan asked Michael as soon as they were out of that office. “I'm going to get myself a snack. Do you want anything?”

Michael shook his head and covered his mouth as he yawned. “No,” he said as he was finishing yawning, “But thanks.”

Michael leaned against the wall, mindlessly listening to Ray and Jack inside. At one point, Jack left the room and returned with Joel. Michael could hear Joel filling in for some of the parts, probably parts that Michael should have been doing, but Jack didn't seem to mind at all. Once it was clear that they were done, Michael and Ryan walked back into the office and sat down.

Ryan raised an eyebrow as he looked over Michael. He turned to Jack for an answer on what was going on with Michael.

“Gavin, I think,” Jack mouthed to Ryan, but he shrugged.

Ryan opened his mouth in an almost perfect 'O' shape as he nodded. He looked at Michael again and saw how the lad was rubbing his eyes and stifling another yawn.

“You know, I know some tricks to getting better sleep,” Ryan said.

Michael blinked hard and looked at the older man over his shoulder. “What?” He asked.

Ryan smiled slightly. “You seem exhausted,” he told him.

“I'm alright,” Michael said, and he turned back to look at his screen and get started on editing a video that needed to be finished, not giving Ryan a chance to say anything more on the subject.

He managed to get through five minutes of the video before he found himself letting his eyes close slowly and his head start to face down.

Ray glanced over at him, but he did a double take when he noticed him dozing off so quickly. Looking around the room and seeing Jack and Ryan occupied with what they were doing, Ray grabbed Michael's arm and began to shake him.

Michael jumped and shot open his eyes, but remembering where he was, he turned to Ray.

“I'm gonna tell Geoff to make sure you're in bed before ten tonight,” Ray told him.

Michael groaned and rubbed his eyes again. “It was just one night of hardly any sleep-”

“Has it been just one night?”

Michael put his hands down as he thought about it. “I... I honestly don't even fucking know,” he admitted. “I haven't been paying attention to my sleeping schedule lately.”

“Well I think it's about damn time you did,” Ray had that tone in his voice of a concerned father that it made Michael smile. Ray returned the smile and they both went back to doing what they were doing.

Michael widened his eyes as he watched the video playing in front of him.

_Just stay the fuck awake,_ he told himself,  _it's not that hard._

He cleared his throat and stretched a bit before he put all of his attention back into the video. This time, he wasn't sure how much time had passed when he felt himself nodding off again. Ray was too distracted to notice it, though, and Michael was just about to drift into a deep sleep when a loud thud of something being placed next to him woke him right up.

“Damnit,” he muttered under his breath from being annoyed that he was awoken again, but also from feeling silly that he let himself almost fall asleep... again.

Michael sat up and looked to find a Red Bull there, waiting for him.

“Thanks, Geoff,” he mumbled as he gladly took it and opened it.

Ray finally turned away from his computer to find out what was going on, but his eyebrows had furrowed when he had heard Michael thank Geoff. He looked up to see Geoff, but he gasped quietly.

“You're not Geoff,” Ray said.

Michael squinted his eyes as he looked at Ray. “What? Me?” He pointed to himself.

Ray blinked at him. “No, not you. Him.” He nodded towards the person standing on Michael's right side.

Michael felt confused as to what Ray was talking about, but he did turn to see, and Ray wasn't wrong. Geoff hadn't been the one to give Michael the Red Bull.

“You're welcome,” Gavin said as he stood there, arms crossed and smiling that smug smile of his.

“What are you doing here?” Ray asked him. “Weren't you supposed to be gone like-” he checked the time on his computer, “An hour ago?”

Geoff walked into the office and smiled as he wiggled his eyebrows at Michael. Michael gaped at him, but Geoff said nothing as he headed over to his own desk.

“Originally,” Gavin answered Ray's question, then he smiled softly at Michael. “I got my flight rescheduled.”

“Why?” Michael asked.

Gavin sighed loudly as he sat down in the empty chair next to Michael. “Because I have something to tell you,” he said.

Michael and Ray exchanged looks, but then Ray whispered, “Look at him, not me.”

Michael rolled his eyes, but he did just that. “What exactly did you have to tell me?” He asked Gavin.

Gavin leaned forward, but then saw Ryan and Ray staring at them. He raised an eyebrow at Ray, and then turned to Ryan. “Do you mind?” He asked, though the question was directed at both of them.

“Oh, sorry,” they mumbled before looking away.

“Gav, it's not like I'm not happy that you're still here,” Michael began, “But really, why? What was so important that you needed to reschedule your freaking flight?”

The corners of Gavin's lips twitched up as he cupped Michael's face and leaned forward. Michael stiffened as he felt lips gently press against his own. He could feel the familiar tingle rise in his chest and he was just about to give in when someone else came to mind.

“Whoa,” Michael said as he pulled away. “Gavin, what the hell are you doing?”

“And why are you doing it in here?” Ray asked.

“Ray, will you mind your business?!” Michael shouted as he looked at his best friend.

“I can't help it when you're right _there_ next to me!” Ray defended himself.

Michael huffed and stood up, grabbing Gavin by the wrist. “Let's go somewhere else,” he said, and Gavin quickly got up and followed Michael out of the Achievement Hunter office.

The break room was fairly empty, aside from Miles standing around in there.

“Oh, hey guys,” he greeted them with a grin, but then that smile fell when he got a better look at Gavin. “Wait, weren't you-”

“Get the fuck out,” Michael sternly said as he pointed towards the door.

Miles frowned. “Michael, we share-”

“ _Miles_!”

“Okay, okay!” Miles put his hands up in front of him. “It's fine. I can go. I should be getting back to work anyway, and you both can explain to me at lunch why Gavin is still here, since I was told you would be gone by today.”

Gavin smiled at him and nodded. “I'll tell you everything later,” he assured Miles.

Miles gave him a thumbs up and practically ran out of there to give the two the privacy they wanted.

Michael sighed in relief as he turned to Gavin. “Gavin, what the hell? What about Dan?”

“Ah, yeah, about that...” Gavin said as he looked down, “We broke up.”

“What?” Michael asked, sounding like he just had the air knocked out of him. Gavin just nodded. “Well, what the fuck happened? Why did you two break up?”

“I feel terrible about this whole thing,” Gavin began, “I wish it could have gone differently,” he met Michael's eye again, “We ended because my feelings for you were obvious, and he told me not to leave without making it better with you. He did leave. Geoff got me from Chris' apartment and we did go to the airport, but that's when I told them that I rescheduled my flight.”

 

* * *

 

“Alright, come on, let's hurry,” Geoff said as he walked quickly through the airport with Dan and Gavin, although Gavin was trailing behind.

Once they got to where Geoff would be saying his goodbyes, the older man smiled at both of them.

“Okay, you both got your tickets, right?” He asked them.

“Right,” Dan said as he held up his.

“Gavin?” Geoff looked at the blond who seemed much too quiet for comfort.

Gavin licked his lips, but didn't answer the question.

“Oh my god, did you forget it?” Geoff asked. “Maybe when you rushed out of the house last night?” Dan sighed and shook his head, because that did sound like something Gavin would do.

“No, I didn't forget it,” Gavin said.

“Then why didn't you just answer my question?”

Gavin swallowed hard as he looked back and forth from Geoff and Dan.

“I made a decision last night after I left,” Gavin explained, “At first, I was just storming off towards Chris' place after I texted him. My main focus was to get there and try to sleep before I had to come here in the morning, but...” he shrugged, “I can't go, Dan,” he looked at the other. “I was halfway to Chris' place when I realized I couldn't go home. Not yet.” Dan's expression softened and Geoff's jaw was slowly dropping open. “Chris and I stayed up for hours talking about this. It helped me come to the conclusion that I needed more time here. You told me I couldn't leave without fixing this with Michael, and you're right. The last time I left, things with him ended fine. This time, they didn't. I-I can't. I can't go without him knowing how much he means to me.”

“Wow,” Geoff said under his breath.

Dan put his bags down and scratched the back of his neck. “Gav,” he spoke, “I'm glad. You do that, you fix things with him, or at least try to.” He then smiled a little as he went on to say, “I don't think I've seen two people love each other as much as you two do. Well... I've seen better working relationships, if I'm being honest...” Gavin laughed and Dan did as well.

“But there's something about you two that's worth saving,” he finished saying to the blond.

Gavin looked at Geoff and waited for the older man to say his input.

Geoff merely nodded as he said, “Yeah, I agree with Dan.” He took a step closer to Gavin and narrowed his eyes, “But I swear to god, Gavin, if you fuck this up with Michael again, I'm not gonna let you near him any other time you decide to visit.”

“Geoff, I've fucked up enough already to know not to fuck up one more time,” Gavin told him.

“Hmm, I know, but I'm just warning you.”

Geoff stepped aside to allow Gavin and Dan to say their goodbyes now, but he told them to be quick so Dan wouldn't miss his flight.

Gavin closed the gap between him and Dan by pulling him into an embrace. Dan patted his back and sighed before they stepped apart from each other.

“Take care, B, alright?” Dan said, pointing at him and smiling.

Gavin nodded. “Yeah, I'll see you when I get back.”

Dan picked up his stuff again and turned around to start walking towards the gate, though he paused a moment and looked at Gavin. “Tell Michael it was nice meeting him,” and with that, he walked off and away from Geoff and Gavin. The two waved at Dan until he was out of sight.

Geoff turned to Gavin and asked, “I'm guessing, next stop, the Rooster Teeth building?” And Gavin grinned at him.

 

* * *

 

“This whole mess could have been avoided, I know that,” Gavin said as he looked at Michael, “But I can't help it if I'm an idiot.” He smiled sheepishly.

Michael was leaning against the counter now, arms crossed, as he stared at Gavin with an unreadable expression.

“This doesn't make things between you and me suddenly better,” he said.

Gavin nodded. “I know, but my next flight is actually next Monday. I have a week.”

Michael scoffed and shook his head. “You think a week is enough to fix all of this crap?” He asked.

“I can dream, can't I?” Gavin said as he smiled innocently, though it faded when Michael didn't bother returning it. “I'm sorry, Michael.”

“Yeah, you fucking better be,” Michael told him, the tone in his voice more angry than Gavin expected, or hoped it'd be.

The Brit frowned and looked down at his feet, and even though Michael wanted to be mad at him, he couldn't.

Michael sighed and said gently, “Uh, Barb's actually moving into her own place tomorrow, and she's going to have this housewarming party.”

Gavin's eyebrows rose as he lifted his head and made eye contact with Michael. “Oh, is she?” He asked.

“Yeah, so if you want to come,” Michael shrugged, “You know, come with us. It'll be fun, just like old times.” He smiled, just enough to make his dimples appear.

Gavin grinned crookedly, the dreaded feeling he was starting to get going away. “Thanks, Michael,” he said.

“This isn't like a dumb date or anything,” Michael told him, “So don't get excited.”

Gavin laughed at that – his extremely squeaky laugh that made it hard for Michael not to smile.

“I know,” he said. “I know it's not.”

“Good,” Michael said. He pulled himself away from the counter and took a few steps away from Gavin. “Well, okay, then. I gotta get back to work.”

The blond nodded and Michael began to walk off, leaving Gavin alone in there. Gavin turned away and started to look around the room, unable to stop smiling, but he had never felt so lucky before.

He came back to help work on Red Vs Blue, and maybe show Dan how everything in Austin was. He knew the consequences that would come from bringing his new boyfriend when his ex boyfriend lived in Austin and worked at Rooster Teeth, but somehow, in his mind, he felt it could make it work without causing a mess. A mess was just what he caused, though.

It was a mess that he would probably not be able to get himself out of, but it was one he was willing to learn from if it meant he could be the one person he never had to question himself about loving.

Everything they went to was just the long process of getting them to where they were now.

 

From the first time they went to the Lady Bird Lake.

 

_Michael and Gavin headed down the hike trail were a few runners ran the other direction from them. Michael looked around, all of his surroundings seeming so different to him, something new. He had only ever drove passed here before. And he looked out at the lake. He could see the moon's reflection on the water and how its light made it sparkle. It looked nice and relaxing, so Michael stopped to admire. The corners of his lips rose at the sight and Gavin couldn't help but notice, too._

“ _It's lovely, isn't it?” Gavin asked._

_Michael's smile fell a bit as he shrugged a shoulder. “I've never seen the way it looks at night,” he admitted._

_Gavin's eyes widened slightly. How was that even possible? Gavin had seen the lake many times, taking a quite amount of walks with Geoff and Griffon at night on weekends when he first arrived to the U.S. And here was Michael, who, as far as Gavin could tell, had lived here for a long time and never came here for a walk?_

“ _How long have you lived here?” Gavin needed a clarification._

“ _Since middle school,” Michael answered._

“ _And you've never came out here?”_

“ _Nah.”_

_Gavin raised his eyebrows in amazement, but he remained silent. Michael sighed quietly as he walked over and sat down on the edge. He got himself comfortable, leaning back and holding himself up with his hands. His whole attention was focused on the lake and the moon's reflection. Gavin smiled as he watched the amusement grow in Michael's eyes. He quickly walked over and sat down next to him._

“ _What do you want to do after high school?” Gavin asked, not wanting an awkward silence to overfill them._

_Michael rolled his eyes and scowled at him. “I'm not having this conversation with you, Gavin. I swear to God if you ask me any of those bullshit questions I will-”_

“ _I'm glad,” Gavin interrupted, grinning, “it's only that, usually when two people share a nice quiet moment like this in films, those type of questions are always brought up.”_

_Michael smirked at that, “Just like the scene in the movie we watched tonight.”_

_Gavin laughed, “Exactly.”_

_And Michael laughed, too, “Yeah, that movie was shit.”_

_Gavin nodded in agreement and they looked out at the lake. Gavin listened to the runners' pounding footsteps on the pavement behind them and the soft wind blowing against the trees._

“ _Do you wanna get going now?” He asked Michael._

“ _Just five more minutes,” Michael waved him off, “just five more.”_

 

To the time they spent Valentine's day, or at least the night of it, in the Rooster Teeth office and they ended up falling asleep together on the floor.

 

_The corners of Gavin's lips rose. “You know what I like about you, Michael?”_

_Michael scoffed. “What?”_

_And Gavin laughed softly. “It's how you can get angry, but quickly go back to being yourself.”_

“ _That's not something to like about someone.” He stared at Gavin with his half-hooded eyes._

“ _Says who?”_

“ _Me.”_

“ _Well, I say-”_

“ _No one cares.” Michael smirked at him._

_Gavin laughed again. “Fair enough.”_

_And they sat there, in the dark, quietness of the building. It was almost eerie, but also, somehow comforting enough that Michael found himself closing his eyes._

“ _Are you going to fall asleep?” Gavin asked._

“ _Mhmm,” Michael mumbled as he started getting himself comfortable by scooting closer to Gavin and resting his head on Gavin's shoulder._

_Gavin stiffened, not wanting to move a muscle so he wouldn't disturb Michael, but he was amazed by how quickly Michael had fallen asleep. And Gavin just sat there, merely watching Michael sleep, listening to his soft breathing that reminded him of their phone calls. He watched the way Michael's stomach would rise and fall so gently. It was so calming that Gavin soon found himself feeling a bit sleepy himself. He slumped his body lower a bit and rested his head on top of Michael's. A smile crept up on his face as he closed his eyes, a warm feeling building up in his stomach because he knew how they probably looked together, and also because Michael's beanie was so soft to rest his head against._

 

To when Gavin confessed his feelings for Michael.

 

_Gavin looked down and shrugged. “I... I lied when I said...” he sighed quietly, “when I said I didn't like you. I do...” he furrowed his eyebrows and looked Michael in the eyes._

_Michael's expression seem to soften as Gavin nodded._

“ _I do...” Gavin said, though he was sure it was more of a whisper, “I do like you...”_

_Now Michael's expression was completely softened that Gavin couldn't tell anymore what Michael was thinking._

“ _I...” Gavin looked away a bit, “I like you.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. He couldn't believe he was actually saying this, confessing what he had been feeling for months to the very person those feelings were directed to. He forced himself to face Michael again as he said, “And I'm being bitter, because you won't return those feelings.”_

_Michael seemed to have mouthed “Oh” as he let go of Gavin and stepped back. Gavin didn't move, though._

“ _You always call me an idiot,” Gavin went on, his voice getting a bit shaky, but if it weren't for that, Michael would believe Gavin was completely confident saying this. “I do feel like an idiot, because I honestly thought I had the slightest chance.” He laughed weakly as he looked at the ground, and then he got quiet for a moment. “I'm the one who's sorry,” he looked at Michael again, “for letting my feelings control me.”_

 

And to the first time Gavin left...

 

_The corners of Michael's lips rose as he stared at Gavin now._

“ _I love you,” he said._

_Gavin felt something tug at his chest at the sound of those words coming from Michael's mouth. And he couldn't speak, or even feel like he could move, so he just stared in awe of Michael. All those months he spent silently chasing after Michael felt extremely paid off, because he just had the honor of being told that he was loved by Michael himself._

_After a few moments, Gavin opened his mouth to respond, but Michael didn't give him a chance since Michael immediately opened the door and slid into the backseat._

_Mrs. Narvaez began pulling out of the driveway and Gavin locked eyes with Michael one more time before they drove off._

“ _Ooh, Michael just told you he loves you,” Geoff teased behind him._

_Gavin grinned crookedly and said, “I love him, too.”_

 

Maybe if none of those things happened, maybe they wouldn't be where they were now.

And maybe Michael was too good for Gavin. No... there was no 'maybe' about that. Michael _was_ too good for Gavin, and Gavin knew that all too well, yet Michael was still willing to be with him.

He sighed as he looked around the room, and he was ready to turn and leave the room when he felt hands on him. He was spun around until he was facing a smiling Michael.

“Mi-” but Michael cut him off as he grabbed Gavin's face and pulled him in for a kiss. Gavin smiled against Michael's lips, their warmth and softness so soothing that the blond just wanted to get lost in Michael and never let go.

The kiss, unfortunately, was quick, but sweet, and Gavin almost whined when it was over.

Michael continued to smile, their faces still just inches apart, but neither of them made a move to close the space between them.

Instead, Michael patted Gavin's cheek and took a step back.

“Don't forget you're _my_ idiot,” he whispered as he winked at the Brit, and then he walked off, knowing just how much Gavin was smiling.

Gavin could feel his cheeks beginning to hurt, but he couldn't get himself stop feeling so giddy even if he wanted to, and he didn't want to.

A week.

A week to prove himself, seven days to rightfully earn his second chance with Michael after practically ruining everything, one hundred and sixty eight hours of what was sure to be nonsense spent with everyone when they weren't working, ten thousand and eighty minutes with useless disagreements that would end with name calling and laughter, and six hundred and four thousand and eight hundred seconds for Michael and Gavin to fall in love all over again, without having something stopping them from being together. Just like it should have happened the first time.

And the best part of it was that it wasn't going to end there, either. Not this time.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay!! The end! Right? No, maybe not. I mentioned how there would be a surprise, and the surprise is, well, I'm writing an epilogue, but I'm not quite sure if I'll post it or not. It'll probably answer many questions you might still have, such as, "Is Gavin going to actually end up working at Rooster Teeth, though?" because yeah they got their happy ending, but now what? Haha. So, if you want to read it, let me know and I'll post it right as I get it done. 
> 
> I can now tell you that the song for this chapter was “Love Don’t Die” by The Fray. Thank you all for reading. It means the world to me!!!!


	18. Epilogue - Part one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since MANY people did ask to see the epilogue, I finished it and here it is. There is some trigger warnings, such as minor character death. Also some mentions of vomiting; just for those who are grossed out by that. That's pretty much it. Also broke it into two parts because I cannot control myself and wrote WAY more than I had originally planned. Part two will be posted later on today.

Michael groaned as he felt a warm body pressed against him. With his eyes remaining closed, he lifted his hand, barely having any energy to do so, and began pushing the person away from him. The person grabbed his wrist to hold on, only frustrating Michael further.

“Gavin, you fuck,” he mumbled sleepily. “The bed is big enough for you to give me some damn space.” Gavin huffed.

“Don't be so bloody comfortable then,” he said to Michael, the grogginess in his voice indicating he was just as sleepy as Michael still was. Michael could feel Gavin curling up to him again and he opened his eyes finally; Gavin already had his eyes open.

Michael and Gavin smiled at each other – lazy small smiles that only made them feel sleepier than they were. Gavin leaned in and pressed his lips on Michael's nose, making Michael crinkle it and look away.

“Michael,” Gavin whined, attempting to crawl on top of his boyfriend.

“Gavin, fuck off,” Michael grumbled, “I wanna sleep more. Stop-” but Gavin only continued to get closer and closer to Michael.

Despite how lazy he felt, Michael started pushing Gavin away with all the strength he could muster, but it was hardly any. The blond practically giggled as he saw that he was winning, and while Michael was flailing his arms to get Gavin away from him, Gavin grabbed Michael by the wrists and pinned his arms over his head. Michael snarled up at Gavin as the Brit straddled him; he smiled like he had just won a game he had been struggling with for months.

“Okay, are you happy now?” Michael asked him. “I don't even see what the fuck the point of doing this was.”

“You always think you're stronger than me,” Gavin said, “I was just trying to prove you wrong.” Michael scoffed.

“Gavin, I literally barely woke up,” he defended himself, “Do you really expect me to have all the energy in the world right now?”

“I barely woke up, too, and I still succeeded in pinning you down,” Gavin sounded so smug, and then he smirked before leaning down and capturing Michael's lips with his own. Michael couldn't help but grin as Gavin pulled away from the kiss.

“Okay, now get off of me,” he said, but Gavin made no moves off doing so. Michael's smile faded and was replaced with a glare. “Seriously, Gavin, get off.”

Gavin was smirking again. Why this was so entertaining to him, Michael didn't know, but he stopped squirming around and merely stared up at Gavin with a small smile until Gavin leaned down again for another kiss.

Unlike the previous kiss, though, Michael concentrated more on nibbling on Gavin's lower lip. He could feel the way Gavin smiled against his lips, and he moved on to placing gentle kisses on the corners of Gavin's mouth. The grip that was on his wrists loosened, and then nothing was holding them down anymore as Gavin cupped Michael's face instead.

Michael was close to allowing a laugh to escape his mouth, but he kept it together and put his hands on Gavin's shoulders as the kiss deepened just a little. By the quiet noises Gavin was making, Michael knew the blond was too distracted to notice anything else, and Michael took his opportunity.

He leaned up a little, Gavin not even realizing it, and Michael started to slowly roll them over before he just completely and quickly did so. Gavin yelped as he ended up rolling right off the bed and Michael gasped, having not expecting for that to happen.

“Shit,” he said, “Gavin, are you alright?” Yet he didn't look over to see the Brit lying on the floor. He remained in his spot, unsure of whether to apologize or wait for Gavin to say something.

“Maybe you are stronger than me,” Gavin finally spoke as he sat up, his hair sticking up in every direction.

Michael pursed his lips to prevent the sudden urge to laugh, but it was nearly impossible and he looked down at his sheets as his laugh erupted. Gavin pouted at him, which only made Michael laugh harder, and Gavin just rolled his eyes and snickered.

“It's not that funny, Michael,” the blond said to him, but he was smiling from seeing how Michael tried to stop laughing.

Things kept going this way each time Gavin came to visit, which didn't happen as frequently as Michael would like, but when it did happen, Gavin would end up staying for longer than a stupid week. But during the week that Gavin tried earning Michael's second chance – the week he called 'the time of redemption – was probably one that felt long some days, and much too short during other days.

On the **Monday** , while Michael went back to working after leaving Gavin in the break room, the blond ended up going into the Achievement Hunter office anyway when he couldn't find nothing else to do. None of the Achievement Hunters were bothered by it, though; in fact, they liked Gavin's company and how he joined in on each video they recorded that day. Gavin went home with Geoff and Michael, and Gavin spent most of his time with Michael in his bedroom after dinner until he found himself falling asleep.

“Yeah, get out and go to the guest room, because I don't want to sleep with you,” Michael told him, using a teasing tone that made Gavin smile.

On **Tuesday** , Gavin stayed at the house while Geoff and Michael left for work. He spent his time watching Griffon start on her new sculpture and getting her whatever she needed when she asked. Michael had lunch with Ray that day and they discussed the whole 'Gavin staying for another week' situation.

“So, he's trying to... do what, exactly?” Ray asked Michael as they waited in line.

“I guess prove to me that he's not that much of an asshole,” Michael told him, making Ray laugh.

“Well, what do you think? Do you see you two actually getting back together?” Michael sighed and shrugged, because he wasn't quite sure.

“Maybe,” he said, but he sounded more like a question. “I mean, I've been wanting to be with him for a fucking year now. I never got over him, so yeah, it'd be nice to be with him and, ya know, be _us_ , but-”

“But with lots of kisses and even some a-”

“Shut the fuck up.” Ray could see the light dust of pink appearing on Michael's face.

“Wow, I didn't even imply anything specifically and you're already blushing,” Ray teased. “Come on, Michael, get your mind out of the gutter.” Michael narrowed his eyes at him.

“ _Anyway_ ,” he said, taking a deep breath, “But I really don't know what's going to happen between us. I guess, whatever happens, happens.”

“Now that's what I'm talking about,” Ray excitedly said as he nudged his best friend.

“No,” Michael said with a shake of his head. “Maybe you're the one who needs to get laid. Ever thought of that?” Ray's eyes widened.

“ _Again_ with the dirty thinking!” Ray scolded. “Michael, please. We're in public.” He looked around as if making sure no one had heard them. Michael just laughed and moved up in the line.

When work was over, Michael went home to take a shower and change before he and Gavin left to go to Barbara's housewarming party.

“Don't have too much fun,” Geoff told them.

“You sure you don't wanna go?” Michael asked, but Geoff shook his head. “Alright. We won't be home too late.”

Gavin smiled and waved at Geoff before following Michael out.

The party mostly contained coworkers and friends, such as Miles, Arryn, Lindsay, Chris, and Ray. He felt like being at work, except no one had work on their minds. Everyone seemed relax, chatting around with each other with music playing in the background. Miles and Chris were beginning to set up some beer pong while Lindsay and Arryn watched with amused looks on their faces. Ray was standing in the corner with Joel, laughing at something the latter was saying.

Barbara was walking around, greeting everyone and making sure everything was where she wanted them to be. She noticed when Michael and Gavin walked in and smiled brightly at them.

“Hey, guys!” She said as she walked up to them. “I'm glad you could come,” she turned to Gavin, “especially you.”

“Why didn't you tell me you were planning on moving into your own place?” Gavin asked her.

Barbara sighed. “It must have slipped my mind every time we talked last week,” she told him. Gavin raised a questioning eyebrow at her, but he smiled.

“Well, congratulations on it,” he said, “it looks pretty top.”

Barbara looked around her living room, seeing a few boxes she still hadn't gotten around to unpacking. “It'll look better soon enough,” she said.

“I'm gonna go see what those losers over there are up to,” Michael told them as he nodded towards Miles and Chris.

“Alright, have fun!” Barbara called out to him as he started walking off. She then looked back at Gavin with a slight smile.

“What?” Gavin asked her.

“I liked Dan,” she said, causing Gavin to frown, “but I wanted to slap you when I saw you with him. I know I acted like everything was great, but what the fuck, Gavin?”

“Can we not talk about this?”

“No, we are going to talk about this, but just so I can say that you better not hurt Michael. No. Not again.”

“You're sounding like Geoff now,” Gavin told her as he squinted his eyes at her. Barbara sighed.

“I've known Michael for around six years now,” she said, “And I'm just looking out for him. We all are.”

“Am I really that bad?” Gavin hesitantly asked.

“No,” Barbara answered, “but you will be if you make him cry.” She paused a moment and crossed her arms. “Again.”

“Trust me, that's the last thing I want to do.”

“Good, but I'll be keeping my eyes on you,” Barbara said to him, a playful smile on her face now. She turned around and headed over into the kitchen, leaving Gavin to stand there, feeling a bit nervous.

“Beer pong?” Michael asked as he reached the group of four.

“Michael!” Miles and Chris cheered.

“Hey, look, Michael's joined the party,” Lindsay said as she wrapped an arm around him.

“Wanna play?” Chris asked Michael. “The more, the funner.”

Michael scratched his head as he thought about it.

“I don't know,” he said, “the last time I drank, I puked on Barbara's carpet. Don't think I wanna do that in her new apartment.”

“Don't worry, love,” Gavin suddenly said as he walked up behind Michael, “I'll make sure you don't.” He placed a hand on Michael's back and smiled at him, and Michael just stared at him for a moment.

“I feel like they're having a moment and we're in the middle of it,” Miles whispered to the others. Arryn laughed and gently shoved him.

Michael blinked hard and looked away, but Gavin was really good at making him feel funny with that smile of his.

“Fine,” he said, facing his friends again, “Let's play.”

Somehow, though, Gavin ended up being the one to get much more drunk than Michael. Michael barely felt the side effects, but Gavin could barely stand at one point, making Michael lead him to the couch to relax from all the excitement.

“Alright, Gav,” Michael said as they both sat down, “You need to take a break.

“Okay,” Gavin agreed, but he sounded disappointed. Michael smiled at him, then he averted his eyes to look at Gavin's hands. He grabbed one of them gently and looked back up to see Gavin grinning crookedly at him.

“I love you, Michael,” Gavin whispered.

“Hmm, yeah?” Michael asked.

Gavin nodded, his eyes fluttering shut as he leaned forward, but when their foreheads touched, Michael turned his head away a bit. Gavin opened his eyes, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

“I know we kissed yesterday,” Michael said, looking Gavin in the eyes again, “But I think we should... let's not rush into things, alright? You just got out of a relationship and-”

“S'fine with me to wait,” Gavin slurred out, then he shrugged and smiled.

“Okay,” Michael said with a nod. He stood up slowly and watched how Gavin sunk into the couch to get comfortable. “I'll get you some water.” He took a step away from the Brit, but stopped and looked at him again.

“I love you, too,” he whispered, and Gavin hid his face with a pillow as he smiled some more.

 **Wednesday** was the day Geoff took Griffon, Michael, and Gavin out to dinner. Geoff even made them all dress up nice, to which Gavin panicked, because he hadn't brought any fancy clothes with him. So before they went to the restaurant, they headed to the mall for a quick emergency.

“What about this?” Michael asked as he held up a gray button down. Gavin stopped shuffling through the rack he had been looking through to see what Michael was talking about, and he smiled.

“Finally something nice,” he said as he walked up and grabbed the shirt from Michael.

“Oh, okay, good,” Griffon said, “Now we can pay and leave, because I'm starving.”

“Don't blame me,” Gavin told her, “Geoff's the one who insisted we dress up.”

“I thought it would be nice, okay, Gav?” Geoff defended himself, and he rolled his eyes at the blond. Gavin just laughed and hurried in line.

In the car, he changed out of his current shirt and into his new one, although he was having so much trouble buttoning it up that Michael couldn't stand watching the troubling sight anymore. He scooted closer to Gavin and slapped his hands away to take over with buttoning up the shirt.

“They're buttons, Gavin,” Michael said as he finished off the last two, “What is so difficult about them?”

“Maybe I just wanted you to help me,” Gavin said, the noticeable flirty tone in his voice that made Michael stop what he was doing.

“Gross,” Geoff mumbled from the front seat.

Michael pulled back and admired the way Gavin looked in that shirt; it really did suit him.

Michael shook his head as he said, “God damnit, you're so cute.” He didn't let Gavin respond as he grabbed him by his shirt's collar and gently pulled him forward to press a light kiss on his lips.

“Alright, you two,” Geoff said, “We get it. You're crazy for each other.”

Gavin decided to join Michael and Geoff at work on **Thursday** , and the blond spent his time watching Michael edit, which Michael was surprised he didn't find absolutely annoying. But then Gavin started talking on and on about something Michael barely understood, almost confusing him, but Gavin wasn't even talking to Michael; he was having a conversation with Ray. Ray apparently did get what Gavin was saying, or he was just glad to be momentarily distracted from editing. And that was mostly the highlight of that day.

“Michael, I'm going to ask you a serious question and I need you to be one hundred percent honest with me,” Gavin said to Michael as he walked into Michael's bedroom on **Friday** night. Michael looked up from his laptop and raised his eyebrows.

“Alright, what?” He asked.

“What's going to happen with us?”

“What do you mean?”

Gavin sighed as he walked over and sat down on the edge of Michael's bed. Michael closed his laptop and set it aside to give Gavin his full attention.

“Time is running out,” Gavin told him, “And I barely see a change in our relationship.” Michael bit down on his lower lip. “I know you want to take things slow, but I... I'm confused.”

“Don't be,” Michael told him, “because _honestly_ , I do want to be with you, and _honestly,_ you've done nothing but be yourself this whole time.” Gavin smiled apologetically, but Michael shook his head. “I like it, though. I like you just being you. I didn't want you to kiss ass or anything. Fuck, no.” He shuddered. “You would have gotten on my last nerves.”

Michael licked his lips and went on to say, “And I think we can make it work when you go back home on Monday. We'll just stay in contact-”

“And I'll make sure to visit more often,” Gavin finished for him. The corners of Michael's lips rose.

“I always said never come back for me, but you fucking better.”

“I don't think I can stay away from you too long now anyway.”

“Good.”

“Good,” Gavin said with a smile as he got up. “I'm not as confused as I was before I came in here.” Michael laughed softly, but he cleared his throat when Gavin turned to leave, getting the blond to halt in his tracks.

“Why don't you stay here for tonight?” Michael asked as he started to get under the covers and moving over to make room. Gavin spun around to stare at him with a look of awe.

“Really?” He asked. Michael nodded.

Gavin grinned and walked back over. He crawled into the bed and stayed still as Michael shifted around to get comfortable. Michael had his back to Gavin, but Gavin snuggled up to him and closed his eyes, a smile plastered on his face as he fell asleep.

 **Saturday** and **Sunday** were basically spent the same way – with all four of them (the Ramseys and the lads) spending time together, going out to places and coming home to make dinner together. It didn't even feel like Gavin was going to leave on Monday. None of them felt so upset about it, but that was only because Gavin promised to be back soon when he got the chance.

Therefore, on Monday as Michael stood in front of Gavin in the airport, Michael wrapped his arms around him, whispering into his ear, “You better hurry up and come back already.” Gavin laughed and stepped out of the hug.

“I will,” he said, lifting his hand up and gently caressing the scratch on Michael's cheek, the scratch that was becoming barely visible.

“My turn!” Geoff said as he squeezed in between the two. “Come here, kid.” Gavin smiled as he embraced Geoff.

And with that, Gavin took a deep breath and looked back and forth from both of them.

“I'll be back,” he said, looking specifically at Michael. Michael and Geoff waved at him as he turned away and headed off.

And he was back, right on time for Michael's birthday, though he was able to stay for a short while. The next time he came was almost two months later. In those two months without him in Texas, Michael stayed up late sometimes, just talking to him on the phone, or on Skype whenever they decided hearing each other's voices wasn't enough.

They mainly discussed whatever had happened to them during the day (or what Gavin had planned on doing, since it was always morning for him when they talked). Each call, whether on Skype or through a phone call, would end with a whispered exchange of _I love you_ 's that would make Michael roll his eyes because of how obnoxious they probably would sound to everyone else. Then again, from the endearing stories Miles told about Arryn, Michael knew he and Gavin couldn't be _too_ bad.

Either way, Michael was happy again. When Gavin came and visited for a few weeks until he had to leave again, Michael didn't feel that upset about it, since this time, he knew exactly when Gavin would be back – in the middle of October.

Michael had to admit, though, that his relationship with Gavin wasn't the only thing putting a smile on his face lately.

There was a day at work, a few days before Gavin was to arrive, when Ray had left the office to grab a quick snack.

“Can you bring me back a Mountain Dew?” Michael asked him, not turning away from his computer screen.

“Yeah,” Ray said.

Michael was indulged in what he was doing, but he wasn't so oblivious to the world around him. He realized when it felt like much too long that Ray had been gone. It had to have been _at least_ fifteen minutes. How was it possible that it was taking Ray that long to go to the kitchen and back to the Achievement Hunter office? They weren't anywhere near far from each other.

With a heavy sigh, Michael took off his headphones and got up, needing to go see if Ray was okay. Most likely he was, but Michael wanted to make sure. He asked the others if they wanted anything, but they all shook their heads, so Michael left.

Walking up to the kitchen, Michael's jaw dropped open at the sight of Ray and Joel – Ray with his hand resting on the back of Joel's head an Joel holding Ray close as their lips met.

“Holy shit,” Michael breathed out, trying to cover the smile forming on his face with his hand, but Ray and Joel had heard him and immediately pulled away from each other.

“No, no,” Michael told him, “Don't stop because of me. I just came to make sure you were still alive, Ray.”

Ray furrowed his eyebrows, but then he remembered. “Oh, damn,” he said, “Mountain Dew, that's right.”

“If I would have known that 'getting a snack' was code word for 'gonna get a kiss from Joel', I wouldn't have asked for anything,” Michael said to him. Ray rubbed his face with his hands and shook his head.

Michael winked at the two before turning around and walking away to give them some privacy.

“Maybe we should try this somewhere else,” Joel told Ray.

Ray nodded. “Yeah, seriously,” he agreed.

And now Michael was lying in bed, overly amused with watching Gavin get up from the floor, finally, after rolling off. Gavin wasn't expected to leave for a little over a week, yet it felt like he would be leaving within a few days. Time had a terrible tendency of running out whenever Gavin was around.

“Next time you try to prove something, I'll beat you back,” Michael told him. Gavin brushed off his shirt and smiled at his boyfriend.

A knock came to the door and the two of them turned to look at it.

“Yeah?!” Michael called.

“You boys hungry?” Griffon asked from the other side.

“Yeah, I'm starving,” Gavin answered her.

“Well, then come on down,” she said, and they listened to the sound of her footsteps walking away.

Gavin held out his hand and Michael groaned before grabbing it and letting Gavin pull out of bed.

“You're a cheesy little prick sometimes,” Michael teased.

“Not really,” Gavin said, “I think you just bring it out of me.” Michael pretended to gag.

“There you go again,” he said, throwing his arms up, and Gavin grinned.

Another thing that had happened during the times Gavin was back in England was that he started filming more videos in slow motion with Dan – Yes, _the_ Dan – for YouTube. Michael would watch them and sometimes found it unnerving to watch Gavin be around with his ex, but Michael did understand that they were best friends before they ever _together_. Dan had been extremely mature about this whole situation, and because of that, Michael did admire him. That still didn't mean it wasn't a little annoying to see the way Dan would stare at Gavin in some of the videos, but maybe that was just jealousy speaking and maybe Dan was looking at Gavin in a normal, friendly fashion.

Gavin did mention to Michael that it had felt awkward to see Dan again, how he knew it could never be the exact same way it was before with him, but they still talked and it was all that mattered. And it was. Michael told himself he wasn't going to be one of those boyfriends who would get jealous easily, because, although he didn't know Dan too well, there was still that vibe Dan had that didn't make it difficult for Michael to trust him. And Michael also, of course, trusted Gavin, so he knew nothing would happen.

If Michael had to, he wouldn't mind meeting up with Dan again and starting over, since Dan was an important of Gavin's life.

“I made pancakes!” Geoff cheerfully said when the two boys walked into the kitchen.

“Yay,” Gavin said as he clapped, but his excitement sounded so forced that Geoff glared at him

“Come sit down and eat, asshole.”

Griffon turned on the TV in the living room so they could have some background noise while they ate. Michael and Gavin took their seats at the table while Geoff filled their plates.

“Oh, Geoffrey,” Gavin spoke, “I hate the thought of having to go home again.”

“Then why don't you just move here already?” Geoff asked. Michael's heart picked up its pace at the mention of that, and he looked eagerly at Gavin.

“You know it's annoying have to go back and forth,” Geoff continued to say, “So instead of doing all of that crap, just... _live_ here.”

Gavin looked at Michael, who was nodding at him.

“I've thought about it,” Gavin said, “Especially considering that was my original plan, but the whole process makes me feel a bit lazy.” Michael snorted.

“Stop being fucking lazy, then, ya dumb shit,” he told Gavin.

Griffon joined them at the table, smiling as Geoff handed her plate of pancakes.

“You know you can stay with us until you find a place of your own,” Griffon told Gavin.

“Which will take him a while since I'm still trying to find a decent place to move into,” Michael said.

“Or we can live together whenever you find a place,” Gavin suggested, getting Michael to widen his eyes and look at him. “It would be like the way it is when I come visit, minus Geoff and Griffon.”

“Oh, yeah, thanks,” Geoff sarcastically said. Gavin smiled innocently at him.

“You'd actually want us to live together?” Michael asked the Brit.

“Yeah,” Gavin told him, sounding as though it was more than obvious. Michael furrowed his eyebrows, but he smiled anyway.

“And now moving onto a more tragic story,” the news reporter on the TV said, although no one was quite listening, “A man was killed last night in a drunk-driving accident. It was found that he was completely intoxicated, having had just left a bar, but he never made it home as he failed to stop at any stop signs and driving way passed the speed limit.” Now Geoff was looking over at the screen to listen more about the story. “The other driver in the other car was rushed to the hospital, but there is no way in knowing whether she will make it or not.”

“Jeez,” Geoff said, shaking his head, “I know crazy stuff like that happens all the time, but when you hear about it happening here, it's-”

“Crazy?” Michael asked.

“Yeah,” Geoff laughed. “Definitely crazy. I hope the girl makes it.”

“That's depressing,” Griffon said, “She was probably just heading home or heading somewhere to meet up with someone, and now she's in the hospital because someone decided they were fine to drive.”

Geoff looked back at the TV.

“The name of the drunk driver was Richard Jones.” Michael froze at the sound of the name. He dropped his fork and looked over his shoulder to stare at the TV, feeling like the air was just right knocked out of him.

“Michael?” Gavin asked. Michael watched as the picture of Richard Jones appeared on the screen, and his eyes widened, more than seemed possible.

Geoff's mouth opened slowly when he made the connection. “Oh my god,” he said under his breath.

Michael felt his stomach turning and he jumped up from his chair.

“Aw fuck, I'm gonna be sick,” he said as he covered his mouth and ran towards the bathroom downstairs.

Geoff, Griffon, and Gavin just sat there, horrified looks on their faces. They heard the bathroom door slam shut and they looked at each other.

“I have to go check up on him,” Gavin quickly said as he got up from his seat, almost tripping over the chair's leg as he tried hurrying towards the bathroom.

“I... I don't even know what to say,” Geoff breathed out.

Griffon closed her eyes and shook her head. Gavin knocked on the bathroom door, but he cringed at the sounds of painful retching.

“Michael?” He spoke softly. He stood there for a moment, listening for more, but when it became much too quiet, Gavin took a deep breath and walked inside.

Michael was sitting up against the toilet, eyes glazed over and the color from his face utterly drained.

“Oh, Michael,” Gavin said as he got down on his knees next to him.

“That...” Michael was breathing heavily, “That could have... been anyone. That... Richard... that could have been... anyone. But his picture. His-” Michael stopped talking as he leaned up again to hover over the toilet.

Gavin swallowed hard to prevent himself from feeling sick, and he crawled over to rub Michael's back. Michael made a sort of whiny noise that Gavin pulled him away from toilet and into his arms.

“I hate him, though,” Michael whispered, his breath shaky.

“I'm so sorry, Michael,” Gavin whispered back. He reached his arm out as stretched until he touched the toilet's handle and pressed it down.

“Michael,” Geoff said as he walked into the bathroom. “Hey, buddy. Feeling better?” Michael nodded and pulled out of Gavin's embrace to look up at Geoff.

“No need for that restraining order now, huh?” He asked, though Geoff merely exchanged a look with Gavin. Michael bit down on his lower lip, but he couldn't stop himself from beginning to cry softly.

Gavin grabbed Michael's face and wiped the tears with his thumbs, whispering quiet things to Michael to calm him down.

He didn't speak to anyone for most of the day, though. Once he got up from the bathroom floor, he stormed out of there and went up to his room. Geoff decided it was best to leave Michael be, for now, and that they would check up on him by dinner time.

At dinner time, Gavin went upstairs, but when he knocked on Michael's bedroom door, he didn't receive any sort of reply.

“Michael,” Gavin said quietly, “Dinner's ready.” No response. “Michael, you can't hide in here. Please, come out and talk to me.” Michael continued to lie on his bed, staring at his window and he closed his eyes as he listened to Gavin's voice. “I'm right here, and I'll stay right here until you decide to come out.”

A tear rolled down Michael's cheek and he squeezed his eyes tighter before he got up. The door opened and Gavin held his breath until Michael came into view.

“Is it completely fucked of me to say that I'm not surprised this happened to him?” Michael asked Gavin. Gavin shook his head. “He had a problem,” Michael went on, “And he couldn't control it.”

The blond said nothing as he stepped forward and placed a gentle kiss on Michael's forehead, and he gasped a bit when he felt arms around him, holding him tightly. He smiled slightly as he felt Michael bury his face in the crook of his neck, and he nuzzled into Michael's curls as he held him back.

 


	19. Epilogue - Part two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, now it's over for reals. Here's part two!! Thank you again for EVERYONE who read. It means EVERYTHING to me. I will update 'Falling Slowly' soon, in case you were wondering about it, and yeah. This makes me sad. I'm sad.

It was the following Tuesday after work that Michael asked Geoff to drive him to his parents' – well, just his mother's now – house. The past couple of days had been some of the worst spent. Gavin had been there to keep Michael from losing it every time he started to get a dazed look on his face. Geoff and Griffon also showed their support and comfort to the auburn haired teen, and it was nice. It did help, but how much Michael forced himself to get through a day was painfully evident.

He was emotionally exhausted. He was tired of being tired, and tired of being upset; still, he felt like he couldn't do much about it.

There was a reason he wanted to go see his mother – at least that's what he told himself. He felt like it would help in some sort of way. Perhaps it wouldn't in any way, or perhaps it would. It was worth a try.

Geoff waited in the car as Michael walked up to the front door, telling Michael that he would be watching closely to make sure nothing went down; always being a protective father figure.

Michael bit down on his lower lip as he stared at the door. He thought about knocking, then thought that maybe ringing the doorbell would be wiser. No, knocking... no... but before he even came to a decision, the door opened to reveal Mrs. Jones; her eyes looked beyond desperate for rest and her skin was paler than ever.

“Michael,” she spoke, “I was wondering if you would come.”

“Uh...” Michael looked down before he said anything more, “I know it's been a few days since it happened, but uh... I couldn't bring myself to come see you until today.” He could hear soft whimpering, causing him to look back up and see his mother crying. “D-did you know about his drinking problem?” He asked, and she nodded. “Why didn't you help him?”

“I was afraid of him,” she answered, sniffling a bit, “He wasn't the same man I fell in love with.”

“Hmm.” Michael slowly looked away, wondering again why he even bothered coming over. It was only making him feel the way he felt when he had heard the news, but he couldn't cry, not in front of _her_.

“His funeral is this Friday,” Mrs. Jones announced. “It would make everything feel easier if you were there.”

“I-I-”

“Michael, I know I've been awful to you. I know I ruined any chance at having a decent mother/son relationship with you, but please, will you come?”

“Gavin's going back home on Saturday,” Michael stated, “So I just, I want to spend as much time with him as I can.” Mrs. Jones' eyebrows knitted together and Michael suddenly regretted bringing Gavin up.

“Oh, right, you're still with him,” his mom simply said. Michael inhaled sharply as he stared her. “Then bring along, too,” she then said, much to Michael's surprise.

“No,” Michael replied, “I wouldn't let him anywhere near you.”

“But you will be there?” The look in his mother's eyes were of hopefulness, something Michael had never seen before.

“I think so,” he told her, “but I'm not going to be there to help you through it. You weren't ever there for me.” With that, Michael turned around and headed back to Geoff's car.

Geoff was staring at him as he got into the car and buckled in his seat belt.

“How'd it go?” He asked.

“Not how I expected it to go,” Michael answered, “but it was okay.” Geoff nodded and started to turn on the car, but before he put it on 'drive', Michael added in, “His funeral is this Friday, and I think I'm going.”

“That's fine,” Geoff said, “But I'm going with you.”

“Geoff-”

“I'm going with you.” Geoff turned to look at Michael with a stern expression. He wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer, so Michael wasn't going to argue with him about it.

“Okay,” Michael whispered, and really, he didn't mind. It would feel better having Geoff there with him.

The problem was, when Gavin found out, he insisted on going with them.

“Gav, I don't want you there where my freaking relatives are going to be,” Michael told him as they got ready for bed that night.

“Michael, it's your father's funeral,” Gavin argued, “Of course I'm going with you. I would have let you gone with me to my grandmother's funeral.”

“But this is different.”

“How so?”

“You know how.” Gavin sighed as he looked away from Michael, because yes, he knew how it was different, but he didn't care what any of Michael's relatives thought of them. He still wanted to be there for Michael.

“Is there any way I can convince you?” Gavin asked. Michael shook his head. “Too bad, because I'm still going.”

“No, you're not,” Michael said hardheartedly, “So shut up and get in bed. I'm tired.” He scooted over and looked up at Gavin with pleading eyes.

The blond licked his lips and obliged, but when Michael's back was turned to him, he furrowed his eyebrows. He was going. Even if Michael didn't want him to. Maybe Michael would be pissed with him for a while, but Gavin figured it wouldn't be too bad.

 

* * *

 

Geoff and Michael got time off from work on Friday morning to head over to the funeral at noon. It didn't feel real to Michael to be getting dressed in dark clothing and knowing he was actually going to his own father's funeral. The thought of never seeing that man alive ever again still made Michael's stomach queasy, even if Mr. Jones wasn't exactly father of the year.

Looking himself in the mirror, Michael took deep breaths, because he was beginning to feel nervous. A knock at his door made him jump, but he kept his composure as he said, “Come in.” His eyes widened with anger when he saw Gavin, dressed as though he was ready to go to a damn funeral.

“I said you're not going,” Michael said through his clenched teeth.

“Is it so wrong that I want to be there with you?” Gavin asked.

Michael ran his fingers through his hair, yet he didn't answer.

“Well?” Gavin questioned.

“No,” Michael muttered under his breath, causing the Brit to smile a bit.

“Good,” Gavin said. He walked over to Michael's side and grabbed his hand, quickly intertwining their fingers together, “Because I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't go with you.” Michael groaned.

That wasn't the last surprise Michael received that day. Upon arriving at the funeral home, he was greeted by Miles and Ray, as they opened the car door for him.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Michael asked them.

“What?” Miles asked. “You didn't think we were going to let our Michael be here without us?”

“Yeah,” Ray added, “Even though we knew you were going to have Geoff, Griffon, and Gavin here with you, we thought we should be here, too.”

“By 'we', you mean just you and Miles, right?” Michael asked, although he kind of had a feeling he knew the answer. And then Miles and Ray shook their heads. “Yeah, that's what I fucking thought,” Michael grumbled as he stepped out of the car, followed by Gavin.

“Barb and Linds are inside,” Miles told Michael, “And Chris is over there,” he nodded towards the entrance where Chris indeed was standing, his hands folded, looking uncomfortable standing there alone.

Geoff patted Miles' back and said, “You and the others are good friends.” Miles smiled and thanked him.

With everyone at his side, Michael started the walk into the funeral home. He paused a moment in his tracks when he saw many of his relatives inside, but none of them seemed to pay him any attention.

“It's okay, Michael,” Gavin whispered to him, and Michael nodded. They went ahead and took their seats.

It was almost brutal having to listen to relative after relative walk up to the podium and talk about his father. All their words were so kind that Michael grimaced every now and so over something they would mention. They didn't know anything, especially since most of them hadn't seen him in years. So what did they _actually_ know? Nothing – clearly. But once the last person went up to talk and finished, that's when everyone suddenly noticed Michael in the room. They all turned to look at him, expecting him to walk up there and say a few words, even his mother stared at him, but Michael sat still and made no eye contact with any of them. A part of him felt like he should go up and talk, but he didn't trust himself to know what he would end up saying.

Then it was time for everyone to move towards the cemetery for the burial. Michael walked with Lindsay right on his left and Gavin on his right.

“Are you okay?” Lindsay asked as they walked out of the funeral home.

“So far, yeah,” Michael told her. “Better than I thought.”

“Well, you always were the strongest one out of all of us,” she complimented, making the corners of Michael's lips twitch up.

“That's a lie,” he said.

“Except that it's true.”

Michael wanted to smile at her more, but he couldn't. He did the best he could, though, but being where he was, it didn't exactly make him feel in the mood to smile so much. He stopped walking and wrapped his arms around her.

“Thanks, Lindsay,” he whispered in her ear. Lindsay gave him a gentle squeeze.

“You're welcome,” she whispered back.

And despite the fact that Michael originally didn't want any of his friends there with him, he was so relieved that they were.

The actual burial process went as expected – with many crying, especially Mrs. Jones, and with Michael struggling to keep it together. He started to feel sick at one point and had to walk away to relax, getting everyone's attention. Gavin hurried over to catch up with him.

“We can go, if you want,” Gavin told him, but Michael shook his head. “Michael, you look awful.”

Michael blinked and turned to him. “ _Thanks,_ Gavin. Damn, you're _so_ nice,” he sarcastically said.

“I didn't mean to offend you,” Gavin said. “I only meant that you look like you're about to pass out.”

Michael rubbed his face with his hands. They stood there, away from everyone else, until everyone started to get up and leave.

“It's over,” Gavin told Michael. Michael sighed deeply and grabbed Gavin's hand for comfort.

“That was... terrible,” he admitted.

“But like Lindsay said, you're the strongest one. You made it through this. You're fine now.” Michael nodded.

“Michael?” A voice that made both of them jump said.

Michael looked over and his eyebrows rose. “Aunt May,” he said, a sort of shiver in his voice. He saw his Aunt May look down and that's when he remembered he was holding Gavin's hand. “Oh, uh...” Michael looked at Gavin nervously, but he didn't let go of his hand.

“T-this is Gavin,” Michael finally found the courage to say, “My... my boyfriend,” though the last word was quiet.

“Oh,” Aunt May simply said, nodding as she looked at Gavin. “You two are... involved?”

“Yes, ma'am,” Gavin replied.

“Did you meet him at college?” Aunt May asked Michael. Michael blinked.

“What?” He asked.

“Well, last time I talked to your father, he told me you were away at college.” Michael's expression softened.

“Of course he did,” he said softly. “No,” he answered her question, “I didn't meat Gavin at college. I didn't go... I'm not going to college. I have a job, at this company called Rooster Teeth. It's where I've been working at for over a year now, because my dad-” Michael stopped himself, but by the look on Aunt May's face, he knew that she knew.

“My brother always was hard on people when they weren't how he thought they should be,” she said to him. “I'm sorry for however he treated you, but I'm glad to see that it didn't stop you from being who you are.”

Gavin felt the grip on his hand tighten; it was both a bit painful and nice.

“Don't ever be ashamed of yourself, Michael,” Aunt May went on, “The last time I saw you, I knew you weren't happy there, and right now, ignoring the tragedy that has happened, I can see that you're much happier now, especially with him.” She smiled at Gavin, and Gavin returned it.

“Thanks, Aunt May,” Michael responded.

With that, she nodded and turned around as she walked away from them.

“Oh my god, I'm gonna throw up,” Michael mumbled.

“I hate to make things worse,” Gavin started, “but your mum's coming this way.”

“Oh, fuck-” Michael didn't even bother looking in the direction his mother was coming from. He just tried pulling Gavin away, but his mother's voice stopped Gavin from moving.

“Gavin,” Mrs. Jones spoke. Gavin looked at her over his shoulder, but he said nothing, and Michael didn't turn to look at her.

“I want to apologize,” Mrs. Jones started.

“Let's go, Gav,” Michael said as he tugged on Gavin's hand; Gavin didn't move, though, because he wanted to hear what this woman had to say. “Gav,” Michael sounded desperate as he looked at the blond, still avoiding his mother.

Chris was beginning to tell a story about the last time he was at a funeral when Lindsay noticed Michael and Gavin with Mrs. Jones. She gasped and gently nudged Barbara who was standing next to her.

“What is it?” Barbara asked as she turned to face the redhead. Chris also stopped talking, and Miles and Ray looked over to see what was going on.

“I think Michael needs help,” Lindsay told them as she gestured towards Michael.

“I had no right to judge you two,” Mrs. Jones said to the boys, and finally, Michael looked at her.

“So why did you?” He asked, his eyes squinting as confidence began to take over. “Why did you make it your mission to make my life a living hell?”

“Michael,” Gavin said softly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze, but Michael ignored him.

“I thought I was doing what was best for you, Michael,” Mrs. Jones practically choked out.

“But you never stopped to think how it would be affecting me... did you?” Michael asked, blinking as he felt his eyes water. “You never stopped to realize that maybe what you were doing wasn't right?” Gavin looked back and forth from both of them, already wishing he would have just walked away with Michael instead of waiting.

“I realize it now,” Michael's mother said, her voice barely audible.

“Yeah?” Michael questioned, but when he saw her nod, he shouted, “Well, it's too late!”

“Michael!” Gavin scolded. Michael shook his head, realizing this wasn't the time and place to make a scene.

“Mom,” he spoke, “I'm so-”

“No,” Mrs. Jones cut him off as she held up her hand, “You're right. It is too late. It doesn't even matter, anyway, because as much as I wish I could, I can't get over how horrifying it is to see you holding another man's hand.” And just like that, any little guilt Michael was starting to feel over shouting at her was gone.

She hadn't changed. She wanted to be different, for the sake of looking like a good mom, but in the end, she couldn't change. She was still the same Mrs. Jones Michael used to live with.

Michael flinched when he felt someone grab his arm, but turning around, he saw it was just Ray.

“I don't know how you expect to make this all work,” Mrs. Jones said, sending a disgusted look Gavin's way, “But I guess I should be relieved that your father no longer has to suffer knowing this is how his son turned out be.” Ray's eyes widened.

“Whoa, lady,” he spoke up, glaring at her, “How the hell can you have the heart to say something like that?”

“Because she has _no_ heart,” Michael answered. He shook his head as he looked at his mother one more time before letting go of Gavin's hand and walking off towards their other friends. He hadn't meant to leave his best friend and boyfriend there with his mother, but he just needed to get away from her as fast as he could.

Gavin and Ray quickly went after him, not bothering to look back at Mrs. Jones.

“Wow, what a funeral, huh?” Ray blandly asked Gavin. Gavin sighed.

Michael stood next to Chris and leaned against Geoff's car. Geoff and Griffon weren't even anywhere in sight, and Michael wanted to ask where they were, but he figured they probably went to look for a restroom or something.

“Ray went to go help you,” Chris told him, “but I guess he didn't get there fast enough?” Michael shrugged.

“It would have been better if he could have showed up right away, but it's fine,” Michael said. “I'm glad that's over.”

“What did she say?”

“What do you think?” Chris frowned and nodded, because he had a pretty good feeling he knew.

Michael saw Gavin and Ray walking up and he launched himself at Gavin once the blond was standing right in front of him.

“Gavin,” Michael said, cupping the his face, “Gavin, can you make me a promise?” Gavin grabbed hold of Michael's wrists and nodded. Michael didn't say anything for a moment as he merely watched the way the fall breeze blew gently through Gavin's hair; he felt hit against his own skin as well, making everything feel much more relaxed.

Their friends had moved away from them, to give them their personal space, and from the corner of his eye, Michael could see Geoff walking up with Griffon.

“Promise me,” Michael started, but he stopped as he swallowed the lump in his throat.

“What is it, Michael?” Gavin asked. “Just tell me.” Michael closed his eyes for a moment, and when he reopened them, Gavin could see the glisten in them.

“Please stay,” Michael whispered. “Please don't leave again.” Gavin raised his eyebrows.

“Michael-”

“Please, Gavin,” Michael interrupted him, “I don't want you to fucking leave anymore. I'm tired of you coming to visit only to leave _again_.”

“I always come back.”

“Yeah, but this time, I just... I want you to stay here. So can you please just... move here?” Michael asked. “I mean, the other day when you were talking about moving in with me, I could tell you were joking. You just sounded _way_ too casual to be serious about it,” And Gavin averted his eyes, “but now _I'm_ serious, like really fucking serious. I want you to live here, with _me_.” Michael took a deep breath before continuing, “Everything's just better when you're here. I don't want to sound like I'm dependent on you, because I'm not. I know how to deal with things on my own, but things just _feel_ right when you're here.” Gavin licked his lips before looking into Michael's eyes again.

“I only pretended to be joking around because I wasn't sure how you would really feel about it,” Gavin told him. 

Michael moved his hands forward until his fingers were brushing through Gavin's hair.

“Now you know,” he whispered before closing the small space between their lips. Gavin sighed against the kiss and practically groaned when it ended, making Michael smile.

“I promise I'll start the process of moving over here the moment I get back to England,” Gavin assured him.

“Alright, alright,” Griffon said as she walked up to them. The two broke apart and looked at her. “I think we should get going. Any of you hungry?” She looked around at all of them.

“Not really,” Michael told her, “but I can try.”

“Then get in the car,” Geoff said, “And we'll go somewhere.” He looked at the friends and smiled. “Follow us. I'll pay.”

“Well alright!” Miles cheered, and he hurried over to his car with the others following. 

They all headed to a pizza joint and spent most hours just sitting there, munching on the food and talking about mindless things. There was even some teasing towards Ray about him and Joel, which instead of denying it like he was used to doing, he proudly nodded and said, “Yeah, that's my Joel and me.” 

And Michael smiled for what felt like the whole time they were there, because he knew things would slowly go back to being peaceful, and it was like they already were, despite everything wrong that had been happening to him recently. He knew more good things would come to cover up all the bad. 

One of those good things being Gavin.

It had taken longer than expected, much longer, but in December, Gavin came back to Austin; this time, he came back to  _stay_ . 

Michael had found them a nice one bedroom apartment and started moving himself in there, so by the time Gavin arrived, what they had left to do was get Gavin's things placed in, and take a trip to IKEA, because admittedly, they had quite some things left to get. All they really had was a microwave, a TV, all of Michael's belongings and also Gavin's, and a bed, but it was Michael's old bed. That part didn't bother Gavin, though. He didn't mind having to snuggle up to Michael every night while they waited to get a new, bigger bed. 

Their first official night in the apartment was spent with them trying to make dinner together, which only led to Gavin making a mess of everything and Michael screaming at him to just let him do all the work. Gavin laughed and started cleaning up, and Michael tried hiding his smile, but it wasn't possible. Michael was way too ecstatic to get mad over a failed attempt at cooking together. It also didn't help calm his excitement that he knew a little surprise Geoff had in store for Gavin, one that maybe had to do with Geoff offering Gavin a job. But Michael wasn't supposed to mention that to the Brit, because Geoff wanted to drop that news on Christmas day. 

The couple sat on the floor in front of the TV with their plates on their laps and halfway through watching the movie that was on, Michael smiled over at Gavin.

“What?” Gavin asked when he noticed.

“Nothing,” Michael said, his tone sounding a little too innocent that Gavin narrowed his eyes at him. Michael couldn't resist. “Okay, I'll tell you,” he said, “I'll tell you that our apartment is pretty fucking shitty right now.” Gavin laughed.

“It is,” he agreed, “It'll look better soon enough. Hopefully.” Now Michael laughed.

They turned their attentions back to the screen and began to eat again, because yeah their apartment wasn't currently the ideal place to be, but they were together, and they were fine.

It would all work out; they would make sure of it – one step at a time. 

 


End file.
